On July 24, a small asteroid smashed into the Earth’s atmosphere over Canada, causing a bright explosion at roughly 3AM local time. The space rock slammed into the planet at a staggering 45,000 mph, scattering fragments across the countryside near Bancroft, Ontario. Cameras from the University of Western Ontario recorded the stunning spectacle, which scientists from NASA obtained and analysed the footage.
The space agency stated that the small asteroid was only about 12 inches wide, and disintegrated about 18 miles above the surface.
Professor Peter Brown of the University of Western Ontario believes that as the space rock reached relatively close to the ground before it exploded, scientists may be able to find and analyse the fragments.
He said: “This meteor got very deep into the atmosphere so we think there are probably rocks on the ground. We’d love for people to get out and maybe find some of these meteorites.
“Meteorites are of great interest to researchers as studying them helps us to understand the formation and evolution of the solar system.”
After analysing the video, NASA released a detailed review of the event which read: “Many observers in the states and provinces surrounding Lake Ontario reported seeing a bright fireball at 2.44 am Eastern Daylight Time (2019 July 24 6.44am UTC).
“It was also captured by multiple cameras belonging to the Southern Ontario Meteor Network, and an analysis of the data provided by these cameras indicate that the meteor became visible at an altitude of 58 miles above the northern shore of Lake Ontario, moving to the northeast at 55,000 miles per hour.
“The object traversed some 80 miles through the upper atmosphere and slowed to 17,000 miles per hour before fragmenting 18 miles above Little Anstruther Lake, near the Canadian town of Apsley.
“The orbit and peak brightness – which was close to that of the Full Moon – indicate the fireball was caused by a fragment of an asteroid about a foot in diameter with a weight over 50 pounds.”