Trace of fireball that was supposed to appear 2022 WJ1, the sixth asteroid ever discovered before entering the atmosphere | sorae Portal site to space

Here is the trace of the fireball taken in Canada on November 19, 2022. Astronomer in London, OntarioRobert WerykTaken from In fact, this image was not taken by chance, it is said that the appearance of the fireball was predicted in advance.

At 1:53 p.m. on November 19, 2022 (JST, 18:53 p.m. November 18, US Eastern Standard Time), the University of Arizona’s “Catalina Sky Survey” discovered and tracked an asteroid.after「2022 WJ1」This asteroid, which is given the provisional sign of , is a small celestial body with an estimated diameter of about 1 m. Objects with a diameter of about 30 μm to 1 m are called meteoric substances, and those that enter the earth’s atmosphere are observed as meteors.

An analysis of observational data from the Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) found that 2022 WJ1 has a 100% chance of colliding with Earth soon. Estimated impact time is 5:27 PM (3:27 AM EST) on November 19, 2022, just 3.5 hours after discovery, in southern Ontario. The results of the analysis emerged more than two hours before the expected impact time, giving scientists in southwestern Ontario the prediction of a fireball.

A total of 46 observations were made by 2022 WJ1 before reentering the atmosphere. The last observation was made 32 minutes before the impact with the 2.2 m telescope of the University of Hawaii (Mauna Kea). 2022 WJ1 entered the atmosphere at a low west-east angle at the scheduled time, and was observed to split into a fireball. Dozens of sightings have been reported to the American Meteor Association, and fireball videos have also been posted on SNS. The first image taken by Weryk was also possible because the collision had been predicted in advance.

~ 1m space object – temporary designation #C8FF042 – strikes the Earth above Canada, creating jaw-dropping #fireball☄️

For only the sixth time in history, this impact has been predicted.

Learn more about forecasting #asteroid impacts from the last time this happened 👉https://t.co/zwPKXeUEUl https://t.co/XbDqtiDuom pic.twitter.com/5yHGWibSki

— ESA Operations (@esaoperations) November 19, 2022

[▲ Account relativi all’Agenzia spaziale europea (ESA) che hanno condiviso il video della palla di fuoco dall’ingresso atmosferico di WJ1 del 2022 ripreso a Toronto, Ontario]

Asteroids are discovered almost every day, but since 2008 TC3, which was discovered in October 2008, no asteroid has been discovered before it hits Earth (including cases where it burns up in the atmosphere as a meteor). There are only 5 examples . 2022 WJ1, discovered this time, is the sixth asteroid ever discovered before hitting Earth.

connection:It entered the atmosphere on March 12. 2022 EB5, the fifth asteroid in history discovered before colliding with Earth

Source

• Image credit: Robert Weryk
• NASA/JPL – The NASA program predicted the impact of a small asteroid on Ontario, Canada

Text / Takehiro Matsumura