China Tracks Asteroid Impact in First-Ever Full Observation
Beijing, China– In a significant milestone for China’s space defense capabilities, the Purple MountainObservatory (PMO) successfully tracked an asteroid’s trajectory from detection to impact, marking the first time a Chinese network has conducted a full-fledged observation ofa predicted asteroid strike.
The asteroid, initially designated CAQTDL2, was first spotted by the Catalina Sky Survey (CSS) on September4th at 13:43 UTC using a 1.5-meter telescope. Initial calculations suggested a greater than 30% chance of the asteroid, later named 2024 RW1, impacting Earth.
Following the initial detection, observatories in the United States, Chile, and Australia joined the tracking efforts. At 16:00 UTC on September 4th, PMO utilized telescopes at its overseas stations to begin monitoringthe asteroid.
At 20:00 UTC, the PMO’s盱眙 (Xuyi) observatory, equipped with a dedicated near-Earth object telescope, commenced its own tracking, closely observing the asteroid’s movement. Around 22:00 UTC, the observatory in Tibet’s Ali region took over the observation, ensuring continuous monitoring.
PMO’s observations revealed the asteroid to be approximately 1.2 meters in diameter, reaching a peak brightness of magnitude 15. The asteroid’s absolute magnitude was measured at 32.19.
On September4th at 21:55 UTC, the International Astronomical Union’s Minor Planet Center officially designated the asteroid as 2024 RW1 and predicted it would strike northern Philippines at 00:39 UTC on September 5th.
As predicted, the asteroid entered Earth’s atmosphereat approximately 20 kilometers per second at the expected time. It disintegrated at an altitude of roughly 25 kilometers, causing no significant damage or disruption to life in the area.
This successful prediction and observation of an asteroid impact marks the ninth such event in human history.
This successful tracking andobservation of 2024 RW1 is a testament to the advancements in China’s asteroid monitoring and defense capabilities, said a spokesperson for PMO. This achievement demonstrates our commitment to safeguarding Earth from potential threats from space.
China’s participation in the International Asteroid Warning Network (IAWN) since2018 has been instrumental in its progress. The PMO’s盱眙 observatory, with its 1.04-meter near-Earth object telescope, has been a key contributor to the network, sharing data and actively participating in global efforts to monitor and predict potential asteroid threats.
In 2021, China established the Jiangsu Regional Fireball Monitoring Network, further enhancing its ability to monitor and study the effects of asteroids entering Earth’s atmosphere.
This latest success underscores China’s growing role in the global effort to protect Earth from asteroid impacts. The country’s commitment to developing advanced monitoring and defensesystems is a crucial step towards ensuring the safety and security of our planet.
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