KUNMING: China’s observatories have recently captured rare images of a falling near-Earth asteroid, designated 2024 XA1.
According to Xinhua, these images, along with data from international observatories, mark the 11th successful early warning of an asteroid impact, with four such predictions made in 2024 alone.
The asteroid, estimated to measure between 75 centimeters and one meter in diameter, was first detected at 5:55 am (UTC) by a telescope at the University of Arizona. Within hours, observatories worldwide, including those in China, had contributed 64 observations, leading to its official designation by the Minor Planet Center of the International Astronomical Union.
China played a pivotal role in monitoring the asteroid, leveraging its geographic and technological advantages. The Lijiang branch of the Yunnan Observatories, part of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), tracked the asteroid from 3:10 pm to 3:30 pm (UTC) using its state-of-the-art 2.4-meter telescope.
Zhang Xiliang, a researcher at the observatory, noted that the asteroid enters Earth’s atmosphere over eastern Siberia at 4.15 pm (UTC), igniting into a brilliant fireball. The time between its first detection and its fall was less than 12 hours.
Other observatories, including the CAS Purple Mountain Observatory (PMO), Lenghu Observatory in Qinghai Province, and the Xingming Observatory in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, also captured images of the asteroid.
Zhang stressed the importance of early warnings and defense systems against near-Earth asteroids, given their potential destructive power.
He noted that most asteroids are not detected before impact due to limited observation capacity.
This achievement, he said, offers significant scientific support for China’s asteroid monitoring and defense initiatives.
The Lijiang observatory’s strategic location at over 3,200 meters in altitude makes it one of China’s best sites for astronomical observation.
The research team there had formulated an observation plan based on predictions of the asteroid’s characteristics, successfully capturing images just an hour before its impact.
The observatory’s 2.4-meter telescope, the largest of its kind in East Asia, is capable of precisely tracking fast-moving objects like near-Earth asteroids.
The continued success of asteroid impact predictions is attributed to the growing global capabilities in monitoring and early warning systems.
The PMO also captured images of the asteroid approximately 42 minutes before its Earth impact. The observatory remains dedicated to advancing research and advocating for the development of a next-generation near-Earth object monitoring and warning network.
