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The Telegraph
The Telegraph
Science
Will Bolton

Asteroid explodes over English Channel after rare early detection

An asteroid has exploded above the English Channel after entering the Earth’s atmosphere.

The 1m (3ft) meteoroid - or small asteroid - was seen shortly before 03:00 GMT on Monday morning.

The event, known as an "airburst", was just the seventh time in history that an asteroid impact has been predicted in advance.

Asteroid lights up the sky as it explodes over the English Channel
Asteroid lights up the sky as it explodes over the English Channel

Social media users, some based in the south of England, shared footage of the rock lighting up the sky. The meteoroid has been dubbed Sar2667.

The European Space Agency tweeted that it was "a sign of the rapid advancements in global asteroid detection capabilities."

The agency earlier predicted that the object was expected to "safely strike" the earth's atmosphere near to the French city of Rouen.

The International Meteor Organization, a Belgium-based non-profit organisation, said the object would have entered about 4km (2.5 miles) from the French coast, and would create a "fireball" effect.

The last asteroid predicted to enter the Earth's atmosphere in advance was seen in the sky above Ontario, Canada in November last year.

American Physicist and airburst specialist Mark Boslough from the Los Alamos National Laboratory told Wales Online that while "airbursts of this size happen somewhere several times per year" they are "rarely discovered in advance."

Mr Boslough added that it was the first time in history this had happened "over a populated area with enough warning to get data".

Mark Boslough is a research professor at University of New Mexico, fellow of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry, and chair of the Asteroid Day Expert Panel.

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