In a remarkable display of astronomical prowess, several observatories in China have successfully captured rare images of a near-Earth asteroid, officially designated as 2024 XA1. This achievement marks the 11th successful early warning of an asteroid impacting Earth and the fourth such prediction for the year 2024, as reported by China Science Daily on Friday.
The asteroid, estimated to be between 75 centimeters and one meter in diameter, was first discovered by a telescope at the University of Arizona at 5:55 a.m. UTC on December 3. Thanks to China's strategic geographic locations of their observatories, the country played a crucial role in closely monitoring the asteroid's trajectory.
The Lijiang branch of the Yunnan Observatories under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) detected the asteroid between 3:10 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. UTC on December 3 using its state-of-the-art 2.4-meter telescope. Zhang Xiliang, a researcher at Lijiang Observatory, emphasized the importance of this detection, stating, \"The achievement made this time will provide solid scientific support for China's efforts in early warnings and defense against near-Earth asteroids.\"
At 4:15 p.m. UTC on the same day, asteroid 2024 XA1 entered Earth's atmosphere over eastern Siberia, igniting and creating a spectacular fireball. Remarkably, the entire process from detection to impact occurred in less than 12 hours.
Other Chinese facilities, including the CAS Purple Mountain Observatory (PMO), the Lenghu observatory in Qinghai Province, and the Xingming Observatory in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, also captured detailed images of the asteroid. Within two hours of the impact, the Minor Planet Center of the International Astronomical Union had gathered 64 observations from around the globe, finalizing the asteroid's designation as 2024 XA1.
The success in predicting and monitoring this asteroid's impact underscores the advancements in global near-Earth asteroid monitoring capabilities. The Lijiang Observatory’s 2.4-meter telescope, the largest general-purpose optical astronomical telescope in East Asia, is instrumental in tracking fast-moving targets with high precision.
Zhang further explained that the observatory's team developed an observation plan based on forecast data and the asteroid's characteristics six hours before its predicted fall. By adopting a wait-and-see approach at a designated position, they managed to capture crucial images within the hour leading up to the asteroid's entry into Earth's atmosphere.
The CAS Purple Mountain Observatory continues to advocate for the development of a next-generation near-Earth object monitoring and warning network, aiming to enhance global safety through improved early detection and defense mechanisms against potential asteroid impacts.
Reference(s):
China's observatories capture images of falling near-Earth asteroid
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