Did the first asteroid of 2014 hit Earth?

Did the first asteroid of 2014 hit Earth?

The first asteroid of 2014 may have hit Earth.

The first asteroid of 2014 has been discovered, and it might have hit Earth.

No worries though, as NASA estimates the asteroid most likely didn’t survive the atmospheric entry intact, as it was not large enough. A similarly-sized asteroid completely broke up upon entry into Earth’s atmosphere in October 2008.

The newly discovered asteroid, named 2014 AA, was discovered by the Catalina Sky Survey and is estimated to be about 7 to 10 feet in size and probably entered Earth’s atmosphere on Wednesday or Thursday. However, the exact trajectory of the asteroid is uncertain, as the track observations allowed an uncertain orbit to be calculated, according to NASA.

Using the asteroid track observations, astronomer Bill Gray and Steve Chesley of NASA’s Near-Earth Object Program each submitted trajectories that showed an impact with Earth.

Chesley believes the most likely impact location for the asteroid was just off the coast of West Africa about 6 p.m. Jan. 1.

According to NASA, 2014 AA is the only other example of an object being discovered prior to hitting the Earth. The first being the asteroid that hit in 2008.

This discovery comes on the heels of another set of asteroid discoveries.

In November, scientists announced they’d discovered three more surprisingly near-Earth asteroids, one of them being classified as “potentially hazardous” due to its proximity to Earth.

The three asteroids are all much larger than the one discovered on New Year’s Day. However, NASA says, “It’s important to note that none of these three new large near-Earth asteroids can come close enough to the Earth to represent a near-term threat to our planet.”

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