What seems like the beginning of a Hollywood drama really wasn’t all that exciting. Because it was quickly discovered that the chunk was only two meters in diameter and was therefore harmless.
Still, it was a perfect test for NASA’s warning software. Krzysztyn Sarnezki immediately sent his observations to the Asteroid Center in Cambridge, USA. A special software continuously analyzes all the data for potential impacts on Earth. He predicted a hit just north of Iceland — less than an hour before impact.
An image from the Meteosat weather satellite later showed a spot of light that was visible for a few seconds. It’s not clear whether the recording actually documents how the chunk burns up in the atmosphere – because the time and space don’t match exactly.
Alert has a serious background in software development. Nine years ago, an asteroid 20 meters wide exploded over the Russian city of Chelyabinsk. 1,200 people were injured.
Hits cannot be prevented with just a few hours of advance warning in the future – but experts can at least warn people in affected areas.
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