Here’s the full video of the asteroid #Sar2736, a ~1 m object that broke up some 50 m west of #Belin, #Germany, and probably dropped some meteorites on the ground. Video credit: https://t.co/72o6ZzPNz8 pic.twitter.com/PA73dkqid1
— Denis Vida (@meteordoc) January 21, 2024
A small asteroid hit Earth overnight, lighting up skies over Germany.
Small asteroid hits Earth on January 21, 2024
In the late-night hours of January 21, 2024 – 90 minutes before impact over European skies – NASA said a small asteroid would hit Earth’s atmosphere. And hit it did. The space rock struck on schedule above an area west of Berlin, Germany. The asteroid was only about 1 meter (3 feet) in diameter. It posed no danger to people on the ground. Yet it’s possible the asteroid might have spread small meteorites over the landscape.
In the hours since then, footage of the fireball in the skies over Germany has been coming in on social media.
Asteroid hunter Krisztián Sárneczky of Budapest, Hungary, discovered the asteroid only shortly before impact. Sárneczky has become famous for last-minute discoveries such as this one, including the discoveries of an asteroid that fell over France in 2023 and another that hit over the Arctic Ocean in 2022.
The small asteroid received the preliminary designation Sar2736. Then the International Astronomical Union’s Minor Planet Center gave it a formal label of 2024 BX1.
If you took images of the asteroid burning up over Europe, share them with us!
Videos of the asteroid impact
As it blazed through Earth’s atmosphere, the small asteroid appeared as a fireball, that is, a very bright meteor or shooting star.
Prague’s view of #Sar2736: a minor planet entering Earth’s atmosphere on Jan 21, 2024, at 00:32 UT. pic.twitter.com/KXDnBvzmGX
— Hanjie Tan (@HonkitTan) January 21, 2024
??über Berlin.? pic.twitter.com/AYROUbTpSy
— FloBerlin (@BerlinFlo5) January 21, 2024
Another *incredible* shot of the small asteroid burning up above Germany just moments ago—wow. pic.twitter.com/OGl0GuWGe6
— Dr Robin George Andrews ??? (@SquigglyVolcano) January 21, 2024
News of the imminent impact
Social media lit up with reports of the impending impact on Saturday night (for the Americas) and early Sunday morning (for Europe).
Heads Up: A tiny asteroid will disintegrate as a harmless fireball west of Berlin near Nennhausen shortly at 1:32am CET. Overseers will see it if it’s clear!
— NASA Asteroid Watch (@AsteroidWatch) January 21, 2024
The latest nominal impact location is ~50 km west of Berlin between 00:30 – 00:35 UTC (01:30 – 01:35 CET).
— Denis Vida (@meteordoc) January 20, 2024
(2/n)
– After capturing the fireball, take a long-exposure picture of stars after recording the fireball.
– Record the accurate time of the recording. Visit https://t.co/ZnxfG2GKex and take a picture of the website.— Denis Vida (@meteordoc) January 20, 2024
Bottom line: A small asteroid struck Earth’s atmosphere over Germany early on the morning of January 21, 2024.
Dr. Thomas Hughes is a UK-based scientist and science communicator who makes complex topics accessible to readers. His articles explore breakthroughs in various scientific disciplines, from space exploration to cutting-edge research.
