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A meteor shines as it enters the earth's atmosphere (James Thew ) (iStock) / The meteroite fragment found in Botswana
(Peter Jenniskens)
Researchers from Botswana, South Africa, Finland and the United States have found part of an asteroid that has turned into a fireball that s & # 39; 39, is disintegrated in southern Africa last month. Central Kalahari Game Reserve of Botswana. The asteroid of the size of a block was estimated to be about 6 feet in diameter, small enough to disintegrate safely in the Earth's atmosphere.
The space rock has disintegrated several miles above the surface of the Earth. Videos posted on YouTube show that the fireball is crossing the night sky, including the one captured by the security camera of a South African farm.
AN ASTEROID IS TURNED TOWARDS A FIREBALL ON AFRIQUE LAST WEEK
by the Catalina Sky Survey near Tucson, Arizona, which is funded by NASA and operated by the University of Arizona
The meteroite fragment found in Botswana (Peter Jenniskens)
"This is the third time in history that an asteroid coming into contact with the Earth has been detected early and only the second time that fragments have been recovered," explained L & R. University of Helsinki in a statement. "After the disturbance, the asteroid fragments were blown by the wind as they fell, scattering over a wide area."
Experts from the SETI Institute in California and the Finnish Fireball Network have calculated the landing zone of the Botswana meteorite. FIREBALL FLY THE SUNDAY OF MIDWEST SUNDAY, LEAVES BRIGHT GREEN LIGHT
"The importance of finding is twofold: It has a huge scientific value and it allows to better calibrate the saying "Earth Defense" "against asteroids," said the University of Helsinki
Illustration Illustration (iStock)
(James Thew)
In 2016, NASA opened a new office to track asteroids and comets that approach too close to the Earth, known as the Planetary Defense Coordination Office (PDCO). The PDCO formalizes the agency's existing program for the detection and tracking of near-earth objects, which NASA has been studying since the 1970s.
The space rock that crossed the southern African skies was much smaller than the meteor that exploded. on Chelyabinsk, Russia, in 2013, injuring more than 1,000 people, whose width was estimated at about 56 feet
HUNTERS OF METEORES: RESEARCHERS RESEARCH THE REMAINS OF THE ENORMOUS SPACE OF THE COAST DE WASHINGTON
A small piece of an asteroid or comet is also known as a meteorite. When it enters the earth's atmosphere, it becomes a meteor or a fireball or a shooting star. The pieces of rock that touch the ground, valuable for collectors, are meteorites.
The research team identifies where the meteorite was found.
(Peter Jenniskens)
Earlier this year, a meteor made headlines when it crossed the sky into Michigan. The flaming fireball sent meteorites rushing to find fragments of the rare space rock.
A team of scientists recently scanned the depths of the Pacific Ocean to find fragments of a huge meteor that crossed the skies. , 2018, before touching the ocean. The meteor was visible in parts of the state of Washington, Oregon, and British Columbia, according to the American Meteor Society.
On Sunday, a fireball was visible in nine Midwestern states. ] Fox News & Jennifer Earl and The Associated Press contributed to this article
Follow James Rogers on Twitter @jamesjrogers
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