The time elapsed between the discovery of the asteroid
2022 EB5 and its impact on Earth was just two hours. The above frame was also taken during these 2 hours.
The asteroid was first spotted on March 11 by astronomer Krisztian Sarneczky through a telescope at the Piszkesteto observatory in Hungary. Sarneczky reported the sighting to the International Astronomical Union’s Minor Planet Center, which monitors near-Earth objects and comets. News of the asteroid spread from there, and calculations showed that there was a 100 percent probability that it would hit north of Iceland.
Fortunately, the discovered asteroid was quite small in size. It was only 1 meter in diameter. Such a small asteroid would burn in the atmosphere, but due to its small size it was extremely difficult to detect.
Its discovery just hours before it hit Earth caused some fear, but the ESA says it’s a “good development”. The fact that it can be detected despite its small size reveals how much observation technologies have developed in recent years.
2022 EB5, although quite small, measured a 4.0 magnitude earthquake at the point it struck.
Considering the Chelyabinsk meteorite that hit the Earth in 2013 and caused great damage, the importance of detecting celestial objects coming to Earth in advance becomes even more important.
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