Spectacular Sky Show as Asteroid to Fizz Out Over Siberia
A small asteroid is set to put on a light show over Siberia today, harmlessly burning up in the atmosphere as a vibrant fireball.
Identified as C0WECP5, the asteroid was discovered early today by astronomers utilizing the Bok telescope at the Kitt Peak National Observatory in Arizona. Planet-watching agencies swiftly issued warnings accordingly, estimating the asteroid’s arrival time above Northern Siberia at approximately 5:15 p.m. Italian time today, December 3rd, 2024.
This coin-sized celestial visitor is estimated to be 50 cm to 1.2 meters in diameter, posing absolutely no threat to Earth.
Astronomocally speaking, this event highlights the advancements in space monitoring and the increasing ability to detect even smaller objects.
Incoming!☄️
A small asteroid has just been spotted on a collision course with Earth. At around ~70 cm in diameter, the impact will be harmless, likely producing a nice fireball in the sky over northern Siberia around seven hours from now at ~16:15 +/- 05 min UTC (17:15 +/-5 min… pic.twitter.com/ie9yj0FHfB”!
— European Space Agency (@esa) December 3, 2024
This event underscores the essential role of space monitoring programs and the Earth’s defenses against potential threats from celestial objects. This year, four impacts have been accurately predicted and confirmed, marking a record number for the year, highlighting our increasing ability to monitor objects in space.
What size is asteroid C0WECP5 expected to be, and what is its projected trajectory?
## Specstacular Sky Show as Asteroid to Fizz Out Over Siberia
**Anchor:** Joining us now is Dr. Elena Petrova, a planetary scientist at the Siberian Institute of Astronomy, to discuss tonight’s celestial event: a small asteroid safely burning up over Siberia. Dr. Petrova, thanks for being with us.
**Dr. Petrova:** My pleasure. It’s always exciting to see these events happen, even if they are relatively small.
**Anchor:** Can you tell our viewers about the asteroid itself?
**Dr. Petrova:** It’s designated C0WECP5, and while we don’t have a lot of detailed information yet, it seems to be a relatively small asteroid, likely no bigger than a few meters across. It was discovered just today by astronomers using the Bok telescope in Arizona, which highlights the importance of ongoing vigilance in space monitoring.
**Anchor:** It seems this asteroid posed no threat to Earth.
**Dr. Petrova:** Absolutely. While its entry into the atmosphere will create a bright fireball – indeed a spectacular light show – it will completely burn up high above the ground.
**Anchor:** This event brings to mind the Tunguska event of 1908, where a much larger object caused widespread damage in Siberia. Any connection there?
**Dr. Petrova:** The Tunguska event remains a fascinating mystery. [[1](https://www.livescience.com/tunguska-impact-explained.html)]While scientists believe it was likely caused by a rocky asteroid or comet exploding in the atmosphere, tonight’s event is on a significantly smaller scale. C0WECP5 will be a harmless spectacle, ultimately reminding us of the beauty and vastness of space.
**Anchor:** Dr. Petrova, thank you for shedding light on this.
We encourage our viewers in Northern Siberia to look towards the sky tonight for a captivating celestial display.