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Planet Earth has just been hit by an asteroid that was only detected when it exploded during the impact.
A small rock of space exploded in a flaming fireball in the visible sky of Russian cities, including Lipetsk, which is located southeast of Moscow.
NASA data reveal that the meteor exploded with a force of three kilotons on June 21, making it the most powerful collision of asteroids of 2018.
At four meters wide, the object was not big enough to cause damage.
But it's a stark reminder of the risk that asteroids pose to our planet.
A planetary defense network set up to spot asteroids failed to locate the Russian space rock.
It was first selected by US government sensors that are designed to detect nuclear explosions after it passes through Kabul.
"The event was captured on video and attracted public attention," wrote the International Meteorological Organization.
The event was reported by witnesses from the cities of Kursk, Lipetsk, Voronzeh and Orel. Many of them reported a loud boom.
Last week, NASA revealed a new asteroid treatment plan and warned of a "vulnerability" that prevents it from detecting objects that approach the "day side" of the Earth until it it's too late.
It is believed that this is the direction from which a 20-meter asteroid approached the Earth before exploding on the Russian city of Chelyabinsk in 2013, producing an explosion of 440 kilotons about 30 times more powerful than the bomb that destroyed Hiroshima.
The explosion of air caused by the detonating meteorite caused about 400 injuries, most injuries being caused by shards of glass flying windows shattered by the shockwave.
However, despite the very real risk posed by asteroids, we advise you not to lose sleep.
Most of our planet is water and much of it is uninhabited, which means that meteors are likely to hit the Earth far away from big cities.
It is also relatively easy to follow very large asteroids that could annihilate our species and predict their behavior for centuries or even millennia to come.
NASA does not believe that an asteroid is currently colliding with the Earth.
MORE: Nasa fears up to 40 gargantuan monsters hidden near the Earth
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