In this video you will learn about the small asteroid 2024 BX1. Its diameter was no more than one meter. A month ago, the asteroid was moving in its elliptical orbit around the Sun. Given the parameters of its orbit, 2024 BX1 could be included in the Apollo asteroid group. The aphelion of its orbit was in the asteroid belt beyond the orbit of Mars.
Such small meter-size asteroids can only be discovered at the moment when they pass close to Earth. This is exactly what happened to asteroid 2024 BX1. It was discovered on January 20, 2024 in the form of a very faint star of the magnitude 18. Preliminary calculations of the asteroid orbit immediately showed that it was going to collide with the Earth. Further observations of this asteroid made it possible to determine the estimated place of its fall quite accurately. The calculations were confirmed. Just three hours after the discovery of asteroid 2024 BX1, it entered the Earth atmosphere over the territory of Germany. On January 21, 2024, at 0:33 UTC, a bright fireball flashed in the sky over Germany. There are videos and photos of this event on the web. The flight of the fireball was seen even in Slovakia.
The refined calculations made it possible to reduce the uncertainty of the fall location. There is information that as a result of scouring the area 60 kilometers west of Berlin, fragments of a meteorite have already been found. Judging by the appearance of the fragments, the meteorite can presumably be attributed to achondrites.
This is the eighth time an asteroid has been discovered before it collided. A larger asteroid could cause significant damage. But it would have been possible to detect such an asteroid long before the collision and take measures to evacuate the population.
Modeling and rendering were performed by author of this publication using own software. The calculations took into account the mutual influence of the Sun, all the planets of the Solar System, the Moon and the asteroid on each other. Relativistic effects were also taken into account in the calculation.
The track Hoist by Andy G. Cohen sounds in this video. This track was not changed. CC BY 4.0 DEED (Attribution 4.0 International) license.
