An asteroid recently made a dramatic appearance in the sky above a small town in eastern Siberia, providing an unexpected light show for the residents. The event, which took place on Tuesday evening, caught the attention of the people in Olyokminsk, a town of around 10,000 people located about 650 kilometers southwest of Yakutsk.
The asteroid, which was about a meter in size (later corrected to about 70 centimeters), blazed through the sky with a bright flash visible for miles. The path of the asteroid took it right above Olyokminsk, giving the locals a front-row seat to the incredible light show. Videos shared on social media show people in awe, some even asking, “Is that it?” as the fiery streak burned up in the atmosphere.
The event was first detected by NASA’s Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) just hours before the asteroid entered Earth’s atmosphere. In fact, NASA had only seven hours’ notice before the rock began its descent. Despite the short warning time, the asteroid didn’t pose any threat. It was small and harmless, burning up in the atmosphere before it could reach the ground.
This asteroid, named COWECP5, was the fourth to hit the atmosphere this year. It may have been small, but it served as a reminder of the power of space objects. In contrast, larger asteroids, like the one that exploded over Chelyabinsk, Russia, in 2013, can cause serious damage. That asteroid was much bigger—around 17-20 meters wide—and caused shockwaves that shattered windows and injured over 1,000 people.
Though COWECP5 was harmless, the event still provided an exciting glimpse into the fascinating world of space objects and how they interact with Earth. It also showed how NASA’s alert system is working to keep us informed about potential space threats, even when the warning time is incredibly short.
