Asteroid Burns Up In Earth's Atmosphere, Lighting Up Philippine Sky

Astronomers in Arizona initially discovered the space rock, known as 2024 RW1, a few hours before it entered the Earth. There was a brilliant flare in the sky as the asteroid burnt up over the Philippine shore.

2024 RW1 is only the ninth asteroid to be detected before impact, according to the European Space Agency. The incident strengthens astronomers' increasing capacity to foresee the presence of near-Earth objects.

The beautiful celestial event was caught on camera and shared on social media: an orange tail that vanished fast and a green fireball that flashed, lighting up the sky behind clouds. A bright green flame could be seen blazing across the Philippines in many of the internet videos.

The impact was expected to be visible from the east coast of the nation as a fireball, according to NASA's Asteroid Watch prediction. Space aficionados all around the world were captivated by the spectacle in no time.