An asteroid lit up the sky over the Russian Republic of Yakutsk on Wednesday night. The body produced a comet-like flash and tail and likely burned up in the atmosphere, local authorities and scientists say. TASR reports on the basis of reports from the BBC and Reuters.
The diameter of the asteroid was approximately 70 centimeters. The body entered the atmosphere at 1:15 a.m. local time (5:15 p.m. CET), it was observed approximately 12 hours earlier, the European Space Agency (ESA) said on the X social platform.
“Inhabitants of Olekminsk and Lensk districts could observe a comet-like tail and flashes at night,” the Yakut Ministry of Emergency Situations said, adding that all government authorities were on alert after the approach of the asteroid, however, no damage was immediately reported.
However, the entry of space bodies into the atmosphere can also end in its explosion. One of the most recent cases of the explosion of a body in the atmosphere is the car that broke up over the Russian city of Chelyabinsk on February 15, 2013. Bolid is a very bright meteor that can also be accompanied by a sound effect.
According to the Space.com server, this body had diameter of approximately 20 meters and weighed about 500 kilograms. It exploded at an altitude of approximately 19 kilometers and for a moment shone brighter than the Sun. The event was captured by numerous cameras and caused extensive damage to property. More than 1,400 people were injured.
Yakutia is located in the east of Russia, in the Russian Far East. It has approximately 950,000 inhabitants, an area of more than 3.1 million square kilometers, is the largest republic of the Russian Federation and occupies three time zones.
