An asteroid illuminated the night sky over Russia's remote Yakutia region early on Wednesday, creating a dazzling fireball before likely disintegrating in Earth's atmosphere, officials and scientists reported.
The emergencies ministry in Yakutia confirmed that all official bodies were placed on alert as the asteroid approached but no damage was reported following its descent.
\"Residents of Olekminsk and Lensk districts witnessed a comet-like tail and a bright flash in the night sky,\" the ministry stated.
The European Space Agency (ESA) shared on X that the asteroid measured approximately 70 centimeters across and was detected about 12 hours before its appearance. It entered the atmosphere at 1:15 a.m.
\"Thanks to observations from astronomers around the world, our alert system was able to predict this impact to within +/- 10 seconds,\" the agency explained.
Astronomer Alan Fitzsimmons from Queen's University in Belfast, as quoted by New Scientist magazine, mentioned that while the asteroid was small, it would still be a spectacular sight, visible for hundreds of kilometers.
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
