A small asteroid hits Earth over Germany overnight

Here is the full video of the asteroid #SAR2736an object about 1 meter high, broke off about 50 meters to the west #Blaine, #GermanySome meteorites may have fallen to Earth. Video credit: https://t.co/72o6ZzPNz8 pic.twitter.com/PA73dkqid1

– Dennis Vida (@meteordoc) January 21, 2024

A small asteroid hit Earth overnight, lighting up the skies in Germany.

A small asteroid will hit Earth on January 21, 2024

In the late hours of the night on January 21, 2024 – 90 minutes before impact in European skies – NASA He said A small asteroid will hit the Earth's atmosphere. And hit her she did. The space rock struck on time over West Berlin, Germany. The asteroid was only about 1 meter (3 feet) in diameter. It did not pose any danger to people on the ground. However, it is possible that the asteroid scattered small meteorites over the landscape.

In the hours that followed, footage of the fireball in the skies over Germany appeared on social media.

Asteroid hunter Christian Sarnitsky In Budapest, Hungary, the asteroid was discovered shortly before impact. Sarnitsky has become famous for last-minute discoveries like this one, including discoveries of an asteroid that fell over France in 2023 and another that struck the Arctic Ocean in 2022.

The small asteroid received the preliminary designation Sar2736. Then the Minor Planet Center of the International Astronomical Union gave it the official designation of 2024 BX1.

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Asteroid impact videos

As it shot through the Earth's atmosphere, the small asteroid appeared as a fireball, that is, an extremely bright meteor or shooting star.

Prague view #SAR2736: A minor planet enters Earth's atmosphere on January 21, 2024 at 00:32 UTC. pic.twitter.com/KXDnBvzmGX

– Hanji Tan (@HonkitTan) January 21, 2024

??über Berlin.? pic.twitter.com/AYROUBTpSy

– Floberlin (@BerlinFlo5) January 21, 2024

Another *incredible* shot of the small burning asteroid over Germany just moments ago – wow. pic.twitter.com/OGl0GuWGe6

– Dr. Robin George Andrews ??? (@SquigglyVolcano) January 21, 2024

News about the impending impact

Social media lit up with reports of the impending impact Saturday night (for the Americas) and early Sunday morning (for Europe).

Alert: A small, harmless fireball-shaped asteroid will disintegrate west of Berlin near Nyonhausen at 1:32 a.m. CET. Moderators will see it if it's clear!

– NASA Asteroid Watch (@AsteroidWatch) January 21, 2024

The latest nominal impact location is about 50 km west of Berlin between 00:30 – 00:35 UTC (01:30 – 01:35 CET).

– Dennis Vida (@meteordoc) January 20, 2024

(2/n)
– After capturing the fireball, take a long exposure photo of the stars after recording the fireball.
– Record the exact time of recording. Visit https://t.co/ZnxfG2GKex And take a picture of the site.

– Dennis Vida (@meteordoc) January 20, 2024

Bottom line: A small asteroid struck Earth's atmosphere over Germany early on the morning of January 21, 2024.