Russian Scientists Share Details About the C0WEPC5 Asteroid That Fell in Yakutia

In the southern part of Yakutia, residents of Olekminsky, Lensky, and Suntarsky districts observed the fall of the C0WEPC5 asteroid thanks to clear weather and a transparent atmosphere. This was reported by Igor Koltovskoy, Candidate of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Head of the Atmospheric Optics Laboratory at the Institute of Cosmophysical Research and Aeronomy (IKFIA) SB RAS.

The asteroid entered the atmosphere on December 4, 2024, at 01:15 Moscow time, exploded at an altitude of about 100 km from Earth, and completely burned up, causing no damage or casualties.

The best viewing conditions were for residents of Olekminsk, where the asteroid flew almost at its zenith. In Yakutsk, its fall was also recorded, but only flashes could be seen due to thin clouds. IKFIA SB RAS devices recorded brightness and a double flash, which confirms the destruction of the asteroid in the upper atmosphere.

As Koltovskoy noted, such celestial bodies usually consist of ice and are not comparable in size to larger meteorites, such as Chelyabinsk or Tunguska. The uniqueness of the event is that the C0WEPC5 asteroid was discovered and its trajectory was accurately calculated before the fall. This is only the eleventh case in the world when an asteroid was observed before it entered the atmosphere.

According to Semyon Nikolashkin, Deputy Director of IKFIA SB RAS, a similar event was last recorded in March 2014 in the Vilyuysky district of Yakutia.

Earlier, www1.ru reported that the COWEPC5 asteroid flew over and fell over Yakutia, which seven and a half hours before that was suddenly discovered by specialists of the European Space Agency on its way to Earth.