Six-hour alert: 80-centimeter asteroid detected before atmospheric entry
TL;DR Summary
A tiny 80 cm asteroid, initially CERNQ52 and later named 2026 RW1, was detected by Mount Lemmon Observatory just six hours before it entered Earth’s atmosphere and disintegrated over the Indian Ocean off NW Australia; there was no damage. This marks only the 13th time an asteroid has been spotted before atmospheric entry, highlighting advances in automated sky surveys (like the Catalina Sky Survey) and warning systems (ESA Meerkat) in planetary defense, and suggesting Aten-type asteroids crossing Earth’s orbit can be monitored before impact.
- Just hours before impact – this week a hi-tech telescope spotted an asteroid, then watched it hit Earth BBC Sky at Night Magazine
- Small asteroid hit Earth’s atmosphere Sunday near Australia EarthSky
- Asteroid 2026 RW1 impacts Earth over Indian Ocean about 7 hours after discovery, becomes 13th known asteroid detected before impact watchers.news
- Imminent Earth Impactor: CERNQ52 Inside Outer Space
- Asteroid impacts Earth between WA and Bali as NASA celebrates test of ‘our planetary defense capabilities’ The West Australian
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