NASA has confirmed that a recently discovered asteroid, identified as COWECP5, will approach Earth’s atmosphere and pass over eastern Russia. Although the 27-inch-wide space rock is expected to produce a dazzling fireball, scientists have reassured the public that there is no risk as it will safely disintegrate upon entry.
NASA Gives Details of the Upcoming Asteroid Fly-By
NASA’s detection systems identified COWECP5 as an incoming object, and it is set to make its appearance over Yakutia in northern Siberia around 11:15 a.m. ET. The asteroid’s approach, which falls under the category of “imminent impactors,” was first spotted by the Kitt Peak National Observatory in Arizona. This marks the 11th recorded asteroid impact on Earth and the fourth such instance this year.
The European Space Agency (ESA) has warned that, despite its dramatic display, the 27-inch asteroid will pose no danger. “The impact will be harmless,” the agency assured in a statement sent out at 4:27 a.m. ET. Although the object is small, its fiery descent will likely create a striking spectacle visible to those within several hundred miles of the impact site.
The Fireball Experience
Astronomers and officials have stated that observers in the vicinity will witness an extraordinary sight. “It will be dark over the impact site and for several hundreds of kilometres around there’ll be a very impressive, very bright fireball in the sky,” said Alan Fitzsimmons, an astrophysicist from Queen’s University Belfast. Fitzsimmons emphasized that the asteroid, though small, will be an impressive show for anyone witnessing it in Siberia. “It’s a win for science, and [for] anybody who happens to be in Siberia this evening,” he added. He even noted that the phenomenon would be a pleasant distraction from the region’s expected cold temperatures.
Safety Assurances and Monitoring by NASA
NASA’s Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (Atlas) was the first to spot COWECP5, although it detected the asteroid only seven hours before its arrival. This system typically provides up to a week’s notice for incoming space debris, but in this case, the detection was more immediate.
The agency assured that the asteroid would completely disintegrate during its entry into Earth’s atmosphere, eliminating the need for any evacuations. “Since the asteroid would burn up entirely during entry, scientists have determined that evacuations are not necessary,” noted Fitzsimmons. The brilliance of the fireball, visible in videos shared on social media, captured the attention of viewers and highlighted the excitement surrounding the event.
Other Asteroid Passes and Ongoing Observations
COWECP5 is not the only asteroid to make its way past Earth this week. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory reported that another asteroid, 2020 XR, will pass by at 12:27 a.m. ET on Wednesday. Measuring nearly 1,200 feet in diameter—roughly the size of the Empire State Building—the larger asteroid will pass at a safe distance of 1.37 million miles. Although it is not considered a threat, NASA categorizes any object that comes within 4.6 million miles of Earth as “potentially hazardous.”
In total, NASA has recorded up to 36,000 asteroid fly-bys, demonstrating the agency’s robust tracking efforts and commitment to monitoring near-Earth objects. While large asteroids like 2020 XR remain at a safe distance, smaller objects like COWECP5 remind us of the dynamic nature of space and the potential for celestial events that draw both scientific interest and public attention.
