Asteroid headed towards Earth, explodes above South Africa : Watch Video
A boulder-size asteroid disintegrated over Africa just hours after its discovery on Saturday morning, June 2. According to NASA, the asteroid was determined to be on a collision course with Earth, with impact just hours away. However, at just 6-feet across, it was deemed too small to pose any danger.
Saturday’s asteroid was first discovered by the NASA-funded Catalina Sky Survey, located near Tucson, Arizona.
A video posted on YouTube by Melissa Delport shows the asteroid burning up in the evening sky over Botswana, eight hours after first being noticed. The video was captured at a farm just across the border in South Africa.
According to the Sky & Telescope, the meteoroid grew into a spectacular fireball while travelling at a speed of 17 kilometres per second. Witnesses described it as equal to the sun in brilliance and accompanied by thunderous explosions.
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