An asteroid about 1 meter in size disintegrated in Earth’s atmosphere over the Philippines near Luzon Island on Wednesday afternoon, according to NASA. The European Space Agency (ESA) reported that the impact happened at 12:39 p.m. ET (4:39 p.m. UTC).
The asteroid, initially designated as CAQTDL2 and now named 2024 RW1, was detected by the Catalina Sky Survey earlier that morning. Such small asteroids, around 1 meter in size, are estimated to strike Earth approximately every two weeks, though they are seldom detected before impact.
ESA noted on social media that this is only the ninth time an asteroid has been observed before it collided with Earth. Due to its small size, the asteroid was harmless and completely burned up upon entering the atmosphere, creating a stunning fireball that was captured and shared by sky-watchers on social media.