‘Dazzling fireball spotted’: Asteroid bursts over Pacific near California coast

On October 21, 2024, an asteroid dubbed 2024 UQ approached Earth and entered the atmosphere about 1,000 kilometres off the California coast, providing an awe-inspiring but safe cosmic light show. (Representative Image: Canva)

Asteroids may seem distant, yet these celestial rocks keep Earth’s watchers on edge as they orbit the sun, sometimes alarmingly close to our planet. Space agencies worldwide work tirelessly to track these rocks, equipped with advanced technology that helps them detect and predict asteroid trajectories with increasing accuracy. Already this year, three such encounters have occurred, bringing the total to ten. While these atmospheric entries remain mostly undetectable to the public, they offer scientists valuable insights into the behaviour of space objects and Earth’s defences.

Growing Accuracy in Asteroid Detection and Prediction

On October 21, 2024, an asteroid dubbed 2024 UQ approached Earth and entered the atmosphere about 1,000 kilometres off the California coast, providing an awe-inspiring but safe cosmic light show. Estimated to be around three metres in size, 2024 UQ was first noticed by the ATLAS survey just before it crossed into Earth’s atmosphere. The asteroid, initially nicknamed Alldc6D, entered over the Pacific Ocean, eventually bursting into a fireball that illuminated the skies on October 22, 2024, at approximately 3:54 a.m. PT. The energy released by 2024 UQ was modest, even less than that of another asteroid that entered near the Philippines in September.

Meteor scientist Peter Brown, from Western University in Ontario, took to social media platform X to share that this was the 10th accurately predicted asteroid impact, signalling a new era in impact forecasting. “These events are becoming almost routine as surveys like ATLAS, Catalina, and Pan-STARRS grow more effective. This is the third such detected object to impact Earth this year,” Brown noted.

Global Sightings: From the Philippines to South Africa

Only a month prior, on September 5, 2024, a three-foot asteroid named 2024 RWI was spotted mere hours before its fiery descent near the Philippines. The Catalina Sky Survey in Arizona, funded by NASA, played a crucial role in identifying this space object, which was captured by onlookers as it streaked across the sky.

Another recent impact occurred in August over South Africa, marking the first atmospheric entry in the region in over 51 years. This event caused a sonic boom heard from kilometres away, along with tremors in nearby areas, adding yet another layer to Earth’s growing record of celestial encounters.

From the Pacific to the Philippines and beyond, these recent impacts have redefined space observation. Scientists are becoming increasingly adept at not only spotting asteroids but understanding their patterns, enhancing our ability to prepare for future encounters in Earth’s cosmic neighbourhood.