Manila: Residents of the northern province of Cagayan in the Philippines witnessed a celestial spectacle shortly after midnight on Thursday when a tiny asteroid, approximately 1 meter in size, entered the Earth's atmosphere creating a spectacular fireball visible in the sky.
The space rock, named 2024 RW1 (originally CAQTDL2), was discovered by the Catalina Sky Survey.
The 3-foot wide asteroid streaked through the sky Earth on Sept. 4, 2024 at 12:46 p.m. ET (1646 GMT) above the Western Pacific Ocean, and near Luzon Island in the Philippines.
As predicted by experts, including the Catalina Sky Survey team, RW1 hit the Earth near Luzon Island in northern Philippines, though a tropical storm partly obscured the view.
Notably it is only the ninth time an asteroid has been detected before impact. Fortunately, RW1 posed no threat, as it burned up upon entry.
Earth frequently encounters such small space objects, most of which burn up harmlessly in the atmosphere. However, larger impacts, such as the 2013 Chelyabinsk meteor in Russia, remind us of the potential dangers.
This has led space agencies to develop strategies for deflecting larger threats, though challenges remain in ensuring Earth's safety from significant collisions.
