Early on a Sunday morning, a small asteroid illuminated the sky over eastern Germany as it entered Earth’s atmosphere. Videos capturing the event quickly went viral on social media, showing a bright object descending over Europe. Subsequent investigations by experts confirmed that the light resulted from the disintegration of a meteorite.
The asteroid in question, temporarily designated as Sar2736 and named 2024 BX1, made its impact outside Berlin near Nennhausen around 1:30 am local time. Hungarian astronomer Krisztián Sárneczky was the first to detect the approaching asteroid several hours before its impact, as reported by The International Astronomical Union. NASA also corroborated the incident, providing a warning at least 20 minutes before the asteroid’s impact.
In a tweet, NASA alerted the public, stating, “Heads Up: A tiny asteroid will disintegrate as a harmless fireball west of Berlin near Nennhausen shortly at 1:32 am CET. Observers will see it if it’s clear!”
This event marked the eighth instance where an asteroid was identified before making contact with Earth, and notably, it was the third time Krisztián Sárneczky played a crucial role in such discoveries. Known as an “asteroid hunter,” Sárneczky has a track record of detecting minor planets and other celestial objects heading toward Earth. His previous discoveries include two asteroids that respectively fell over France in 2023 and the Arctic Ocean in 2022.
These observations highlight the ongoing efforts of astronomers and space agencies to monitor and track celestial bodies that may pose a risk to Earth, contributing to early warnings and insights into the dynamics of space objects entering our atmosphere.
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