Asteroid Detected Just Hours Before It Exploded Above Berlin
In the early hours of Sunday, January 21, residents near Berlin, Germany, witnessed a remarkable event in the night sky. A small asteroid, later designated as 2024 BX1, disintegrated harmlessly as it entered Earth's atmosphere. What makes this occurrence truly unique is that scientists were able to detect and track the asteroid a mere three hours before impact.
The discovery of asteroid 2024 BX1 can be attributed to the diligent work of Krisztián Sárneczky, an astronomer at the Piszkéstető Mountain Station in Hungary. Using the powerful 60-cm Schmidt telescope at the Konkoly Observatory, Sárneczky identified the cosmic rock and promptly reported his findings. This early detection allowed NASA to provide a detailed prediction of the asteroid's impact location and time.
As the asteroid...