2024 RW1, previously known under its provisional designation CAQTDL2,[5] was a 1-meter-sized asteroid or meteoroid that struck the Earth's atmosphere and burned up harmlessly on September 5, 2024, at around 12:40 a.m. PHT (September 4, 16:40 UTC) above the western Pacific Ocean near Cagayan, Philippines.[5][6] 2024 RW1 is the ninth impact event that was successfully predicted,[7] which was discovered by Jacqueline Fazekas at NASA-funded Catalina Sky Survey.[8]

2024 RW1
The sequence of four images in which 2024 RW1 (inside purple circles) was discovered
Discovery[1][2]
Discovered byJacqueline B. Fazekas
Discovery siteMount Lemmon Obs.
Discovery date4 September 2024
Designations
2024 RW1
CAQTDL2
NEO · Apollo
Orbital characteristics[3]
Epoch 4 September 2024 (JD 2460557.5)
Uncertainty parameter 5
Observation arc10.30 h (618.23 min)
Aphelion4.279 AU
Perihelion0.735 AU
2.507 AU
Eccentricity0.7068
3.97 yr (1,450 d)
349.188°
0° 14m 53.799s / day
Inclination0.528°
162.457°
249.622°
Earth MOID1.34283×10−5 AU (2.00885×103 km)
Physical characteristics[3][4]
~1 m (3.3 ft)
C-type asteroid
32.048±0.343

Ground observation

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Despite the presence of Typhoon Yagi over the Philippines that the European Space Agency (ESA) initially said "might obscure the view of the asteroid", several observers reported seeing the fireball, including those who posted videos on social media.[9]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "2024 RW1". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
  2. ^ "MPEC 2024-R68: 2024 RW1". Minor Planet Electronic Circular. Minor Planet Center. 4 September 2024. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
  3. ^ a b "Small-Body Database Lookup: (2024 RW1)". ssd.jpl.nasa.gov. NASA / JPL. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
  4. ^ Daniel W. E. Green. "Electronic Telegram No. 5438" (TXT). Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
  5. ^ a b M. Sparkes; J. Dinneen (4 September 2024). "A small asteroid hit Earth and burned up over the Philippines". New Scientist. Archived from the original on 4 September 2024. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
  6. ^ Aaron Reich (4 September 2024). "Asteroid the size of two house cats to hit Earth over the Philippines". The Jerusalem Post. Archived from the original on 5 September 2024. Retrieved 4 September 2024 – via MSN.
  7. ^ Amanda Kooser (4 September 2024). "Rare Asteroid Spotted Hours Before Impacting Earth's Atmosphere". Forbes. Archived from the original on 5 September 2024. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
  8. ^ Brett Tingley (4 September 2024). "Tiny asteroid will hit Earth today, burn up over Philippines. 'Discovered this morning,' ESA says". Space.com. Archived from the original on 5 September 2024. Retrieved 4 September 2024.
  9. ^ Margherita Bassi (4 September 2024). "An Asteroid Hit Earth's Atmosphere Today — Here's Why Astronomers Say That's a Good Thing". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
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