Scientists discover near-Earth asteroid only hours before it exploded over Europe

On Sunday, scientists were able to detect an asteroid before it exploded over Europe, only the eighth time that has happened in the history of the planet.

>> Read more trending news

The asteroid, which exploded over Berlin, Germany, was called 2024 BXI and was first discovered by Krisztián Sárneczky, an astronomer at the Piszkéstető Mountain Station, part of Konkoly Observatory in Hungary, according to Live Science.

Shortly after Sárneczky found the asteroid, NASA predicted where and when the meteor would strike. NASA Asteroid Watch first flagged the asteroid’s imminent arrival in a social media post shared on Saturday evening.

“Heads Up: A tiny asteroid will disintegrate as a harmless fireball west of Berlin near Nennhausen shortly at 1:32 a.m. CET,” the post read. “Overseers will see it if it’s clear!”

NASA’s prediction was spot-on.

The asteroid measured an estimated 3.3 feet wide before impact, CBS reported. It likely started to disintegrate around 30 miles west of Berlin.

According to the European Space Agency, 99% of near-Earth asteroids smaller than 98 feet (30 meters) across have not yet been discovered, making Sárneczky’s discovery highly unusual.

The smaller an asteroid is, the closer it must be to Earth before scientists can detect it, experts say.

© 2024 Cox Media Group