Close encounters #3: Asteroiden scheren langs de aarde

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Eight bright fireballs reported over U.S. in March as spring fireball season returns

Eight bright fireballs were reported over the U.S. between March 3 and 24, 2026, drawing renewed attention to a seasonal increase in fireball activity often seen around the March equinox. NASA has long said sporadic fireball rates can rise by about 10% to 30% during this period, a pattern recognized for more than four decades, even though its cause remains unresolved.

At least eight bright fireballs were reported over the U.S. from March 3 to 24, 2026, drawing renewed discussion over why so many have been seen this month. The increase is consistent with a seasonal rise in fireball activity often observed around the March equinox.

The increase is associated with the weeks around the March equinox, when the Sun crosses the celestial equator and the Northern Hemisphere spring begins. NASA has long noted that bright sporadic fireballs tend to become more common during this period.

According to NASA, the rate of sporadic fireballs can increase by about 10% to 30% during this period. What makes the pattern notable is that no single explanation for it has been confirmed.

Researchers have recognized the pattern for decades, but no single explanation has been confirmed.

One proposed explanation involves the geometry of Earth’s motion through space and the direction from which meteoroids encounter the atmosphere. In simple terms, some researchers have suggested that seasonal viewing geometry may favor faster, more direct encounters with particles large enough to produce bright fireballs.

Another possibility is that Earth passes through a somewhat denser region of meteoroidal debris during this part of its orbit, increasing the likelihood of bright entries.

Another theory involves velocity and size. Meteoroids enter Earth’s atmosphere at speeds starting near 11 km/s (6.8 miles/s), and brighter fireballs are generally produced by larger objects and higher-energy entries, which generate stronger compression heating and more intense ablation in the upper atmosphere.

Some of the increase may also reflect observational bias, including more people outdoors in spring and a larger number of cameras capturing events. However, the pattern has been recognized for decades, suggesting that viewing conditions alone do not fully explain it.

While these ideas offer partial explanations, none have been confirmed, and the cause of the spring fireball surge remains unresolved

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De asteroïde werd pas een week geleden ontdekt.

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Op maandag 18 mei 2026 20:10 schreef SpeedyGJ het volgende:

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Kun je nagaan dat deze wel directe inslag kon maken op de aarde, nu zal de meeste wel verdampen maar de klap zal als nog wel heftig zijn. Maar zulke brokstukken kunnen we nog wel hebben gelukkig

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Asteroid 2026 RW1 impacts Earth over Indian Ocean about 7 hours after discovery, becomes 13th known asteroid detected before impact

Asteroid 2026 RW1 — the 13th predicted Earth impactor — entered Earth’s atmosphere over the Indian Ocean northwest of Australia at 16:07 UTC on September 6, 2026, about 7 hours and 22 minutes after its initial reported observation by the University of Arizona Mt. Lemmon Survey. The European Space Agency (ESA) estimated the object at 0.6–1.3 m (2.0–4.3 feet).

Asteroid 2026 RW1 struck Earth over the Indian Ocean northwest of Australia on September 6, just over 7 hours after it was discovered, becoming the 13th known asteroid detected before hitting Earth. This event added another real-world test of planetary defense systems designed to identify small incoming objects, rapidly refine their trajectories, and determine where and when they will enter the atmosphere.

ESA tracked the asteroid under the temporary identifier CERNQ52 using its Meerkat system and estimated its diameter at only 0.6–1.3 m (2–4.3 feet). Objects of this size are difficult to detect far in advance because they are intrinsically faint, often becoming observable only when they are already relatively close to Earth.

As new observations were added, ESA classified 2026 RW1 as a confirmed impactor and determined the median impact position near 13.77°S, 116.43°E, over the Indian Ocean northwest of Australia.

Meerkat is designed to assess newly detected objects when only a short observational arc is available. It tests a range of possible trajectories and narrows the solution as additional astrometric measurements arrive.

The Minor Planet Center’s (MPC) orbital solution classifies the asteroid as an Aten near-Earth object, with an absolute magnitude of H 33.26, an orbital inclination of 1.43402°, and a semimajor axis of 0.9447379 AU, approximately 141.3 million km (87.8 million miles).

The object burned out in the atmosphere, and judging by its latest calculated impact area, there’s almost no chance of meteorite recovery.