One-meter ‘harmless’ asteroid to burn up over Luzon

MANILA, Philippines — A one-meter asteroid will fall off Luzon early Thursday morning, according to the European Space Agency (ESA).

ESA said the asteroid, named 2024 RW1, will strike the Earth’s atmosphere over the Philippines near Luzon Island at 16:46 UTC (12:46 a.m. Philippine time) on Thursday.

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“The object is harmless, but people in the area may see a spectacular fireball,” the ESA said in a post on X (formerly Twitter)

The Philippine Space Agency has yet to confirm this development.

However, severe tropical storm Enteng will obscure the view of the asteroid.

“An object this size has the potential to create a stunning fireball, but weather conditions in the area are likely to be cloudy and stormy,” the ESA said in a reply to another post asking if the asteroid will be visible.

While the earth sees asteroids of such size often, the ESA noted that its detection before it hits the planet is a rare feat for humanity.

Small asteroids—around one meter in diameter—hit the earth every two weeks.

“This detection is actually great news! This is only the ninth time that humankind has discovered an asteroid before it impacts Earth and is a sign of our improving planetary defense capabilities,” the agency said.

The last catastrophic asteroid hit the earth about 65 million years ago, the impact of which killed 70 percent of all species on earth including dinosaurs.