A tiny asteroid measuring about 27 inches wide was detected on Tuesday on a collision course with Earth, expected to hit the atmosphere over northern Siberia. This harmless event was the fourth time this year an asteroid was classified as an “imminent impactor,” discovered just hours before impact. The asteroid was detected by astronomers at the Kitt Peak National Observatory near Tucson, Arizona, and was expected to produce a “nice fireball in the sky.” In October, another asteroid was discovered by the ATLAS system in Hawaii just two hours before burning up over the Pacific Ocean. An imminent impactor is an asteroid that is discovered shortly before entering Earth’s atmosphere, prompting the European Space Agency and others to use sensors and radars to monitor incoming asteroids. Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY, with contact information available for further inquiries.
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