2024-02-02 06:11:37
A team of scientists and amateur researchers was able to track fragments of an asteroid that struck Earth over Berlin, Germany, on January 21.
Fragments of the small asteroid, called 2024 BX1, burned up in the sky above Berlin, turning into a harmless fireball, just two hours after it was discovered by astronomers.
Researchers and amateur scientists searching for remaining parts of the space rock around Berlin found some fragments over the past weekend.
The first meteorites from the asteroid 2024 BX1 (the Berlin fireball) that entered our atmosphere on January 20 were found. Fragments were located by Michał Nebelski, Kryspin Kmieciak and Kazimierz Magneto!#2024BX1 #asteroid pic.twitter.com/hhwvA24sGY
— Dr. Taha Shisseh (@TSpacechat) January 25, 2024
The team, including meteorite scientist Peter Jeniskens, found that the rock fragments are “extremely rare” because they resemble rocks found on Earth. Such “extremely rare” space rocks make up only 1% of all known meteorites.
The space rock, which is about one meter (3.3 feet) wide, was discovered by Hungarian astronomer Christian Szarnieczky, just two to three hours before it collided with our planet’s atmosphere, according to the International Astronomical Union. NASA then confirmed the discovery of the asteroid about 20 minutes before the collision.
The asteroid was first known under its provisional name Sar2736, and was captured on camera as it appeared and disappeared in the sky over Berlin at around 00:33 UTC.
His sighting was unusual because 99% of near-Earth asteroids with a diameter of less than 30 meters have not yet been discovered, according to astronomers.
Since the space rock collided with our planet, a specialized team of about 12 to 21 individuals, including experts and students from the National History Museum, has scanned the field in search of the remaining small fragments, according to the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) Center.
However, the search proved difficult at first, as the meteorites bore a striking resemblance to common terrestrial rocks.
A large portion of the fragments was found for the first time last Thursday, and then two other meteorites weighing 5.3 grams and 3.1 grams, respectively, were discovered over the weekend. (Russia Today)
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