An asteroid about one meter (3.5 feet) across is expected to burn up in Earth’s atmosphere over the Philippines near the island of Luzon at 12:46 p.m. Miami time (4:46 p.m. UTC) on Wednesday, according to the European Space Agency (ESA).
The Catalina Sky Survey discovered the object, called CAQTDL2, this morning. Asteroids about one meter in size are estimated to hit Earth about every two weeks, though they are rarely detected before they hit the planet, according to the space agency.
“This is only the ninth asteroid that humanity has detected before impact,” ESA tweeted.
Since the object is small enough to burn up in the atmosphere when it enters, it is harmless. A magnificent fireball will be visible to nearby residents. But visibility might be limited by cloud cover brought on by Typhoon Yagi, which is nearby.
Located roughly 250 miles (400 kilometers) west of Luzon, Philippines, typhoon Yagi has been affecting the northern Philippines as a tropical storm for the previous few days. At this point, it is the equivalent of a Category 3 hurricane.
