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| Asteroid lights up sky above English Channel | Asteroid lights up sky above English Channel |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| WATCH: Asteroid soars above English Channel | WATCH: Asteroid soars above English Channel |
| WATCH: Asteroid soars above English Channel | WATCH: Asteroid soars above English Channel |
| A small asteroid has entered the Earth's atmosphere and was seen lighting up the sky above the English Channel, creating a stunning shooting star effect. | A small asteroid has entered the Earth's atmosphere and was seen lighting up the sky above the English Channel, creating a stunning shooting star effect. |
| The 1m (3ft) meteoroid - or small asteroid - was seen shortly before 03:00 GMT on Monday morning. | The 1m (3ft) meteoroid - or small asteroid - was seen shortly before 03:00 GMT on Monday morning. |
| Social media users, some based in the south of England, shared footage of the rock which has been dubbed Sar2667. | Social media users, some based in the south of England, shared footage of the rock which has been dubbed Sar2667. |
| It is just the seventh time an asteroid impact has been predicted in advance. | It is just the seventh time an asteroid impact has been predicted in advance. |
| The European Space Agency tweeted that it was "a sign of the rapid advancements in global asteroid detection capabilities!" | The European Space Agency tweeted that it was "a sign of the rapid advancements in global asteroid detection capabilities!" |
| A person who says they witnessed the event wrote on Twitter that the asteroid "lit up the sky with a pink flash which was spectacular." | |
| Another said: "I just stood at my window and turned on my phone. I wasn't expecting much but it really was amazing." | |
| Wonderful view.Thank you so much for the alert ! pic.twitter.com/zfAdWzJVjO | |
| The agency earlier said the object was expected to "safely strike" the earth's atmosphere near to the French city of Rouen. | The agency earlier said 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 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. |
| Asteroid Sar2667, about a meter in diameter, was expected to fall near the French city of Le Havre at 02:59h UTC. I drove to a photogenic spot close to home in the south of the Netherlands to capture it, just as the sky cleared.#asteroid #meteor @IMOmeteors @apod pic.twitter.com/MNZofhkrd7 | |
| Asteroids are small rocky objects that orbit the sun, often described as minor planets. | |
| Authorities are aware of more than 1.1 million asteroids, although the true number is believed to be much higher. | |
| Around 30,600 travel in an orbit that brings them near Earth's own, according to the European Space Agency. | |
| The last asteroid predicted to enter the Earth's atmosphere in advance was seen in the sky above Ontario, Canada in November last year. | The last asteroid predicted to enter the Earth's atmosphere in advance was seen in the sky above Ontario, Canada in November last year. |
| In January, an asteroid the size of a minibus had been on a direct collision course with earth. | |
| In reality, the rock would likely have disintegrated high in the atmosphere before impact. | |
| Asteroid detection experts are most concerned about "goldilocks asteroids", much larger space rocks that could do serious damage to earth if they impact. | |
| In October, the American space agency NASA announced its experiment to deflect the path of an asteroid had been successful. | |
| Related Topics | Related Topics |
| Meteorites | Meteorites |
| Asteroids | Asteroids |