On Tuesday, a tiny, harmless asteroid was detected early before it was expected to burn up in Earth's atmosphere over Siberia.

The asteroid, which has the temporary designation C0WEPC5, has now become the 4th "imminent impactor" discovered in 2024, meaning an asteroid that was discovered within hours of its expected impact. It was only the 11th confirmed imminent impactor overall (a 12th one has yet to be confirmed, according to physicist Richard Moissl ).

NASA’s Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System found the asteroid, with the European Space Agency projecting where it'll enter the atmosphere

The impact of the asteroid will be harmless, likely producing a nice fireball in the sky over northern Siberia few hours from now. European Space Agency Shared latest updates on social media X sharing detailed information about this Asteroid.

NASA has confirmed an asteroid is inbound and set to hit Earth’s atmosphere in a matter of hours. The space rock was spotted by NASA’s Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System, which gives scientists up to a week’s notice on earth-bound projectiles.

Thankfully, the asteroid was small in size, estimated to be a mere 27 inches in diameter. Scientists expected it to be no match for the layers of gas surrounding earth, meaning it wouldn't pose a risk to humans.

In a matter of hours, a small asteroid will burn over the Siberian skies. This is only the 11th time that an asteroid has been predicted to hit our planet before it actually happened, but it shows that the system of planetary defense is working!