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 ...