- An early Saturday morning fireball lit up a neighbourhood and passed over Toronto.
- The impact of the object on Earth was predicated, marking the sixth occasion in history.
- According to the European Space Agency, detection technology for small objects is improving.
A bright fireball flashed across Saturday night’s night sky, passing over Toronto before colliding with Earth at Niagara Falls.
The fireball was captured on several videos, including OneIt was seen passing by the city’s CN Tower.
—ESA Operations (@esaoperations) November 19, 2022
Another VideoThe image was taken from the security camera at the front of a house. It showed the fireball lighting up the sky above the neighborhood before speeding past.
—Sarah Gorsline (@SarahGorsline) November 19, 2022
The European Space AgencyThe agency said that this was only the sixth successful prediction of an asteroid collision with Earth. According to the agency, although most asteroid collisions with Earth occur after the fact using evidence such as craters and other evidence, there are still a few instances in which a space rock can be detected before it strikes. Growing.
In fact, all six detections have taken place since 2008, according to ESA, which said continued improvement in sky scanning telescopes will likely make detection of smaller objects — which frequently strike Earth — more common.
Large asteroids are, however, much more difficult to find.
Hours before Saturday’s fireball struck, amateur and professional Astronomers anticipated its arrival. The Minor Planet CenterWhich monitors asteroidsThe detecting of a fast-moving object by the Mount Lemmon SurveyTucson, Arizona: A “warning of an impending impact”
According to the MPC, seven observatories were capable of spotting the object just before it entered Earth’s atmosphere. ET over Brantford, Ontario. According to the ESA, the object measured less than 1 meter.
Fireballs are meteors that shine brightly and can be seen from a large area. According to the Observer, fireballs usually do not reach the Earth’s atmosphere intact. However, fragments or meteorites can sometimes be found on the ground. NASA.
Mike Hankey from the American Meteor Society spoke. The New York Times its possible meteorites — debris from a space object — from Saturday’s event could be discovered near Niagara Falls.
