Asteroid found just 2 hours before COLLIDING with Earth! See what happened after that

Asteroid 2022 EB5 was discovered just two hours before it hit Earth. Know what happened after that, and whether it caused any damage.

Asteroid 2022 EB5 found 2 hours before it hit Earth (Pixabay)

Asteroids are dangerous big rocks that float through space and could take out civilisations, if the size is big enough. On a regular basis, Earth keeps getting visited by massive rocks that pass too closely, making us realise about this “space danger” that could end us in a flash, just like the dinosaurs! On March 12, a small asteroid was discovered travelling through the skies, only to be later found that it was travelling towards us! And, it eventually hit Earth!

But since we all are alive and breathing well, it did not cause any harm to us humans. Designated the 2022 EB5, the rick was spotted just two hours prior to its impact with our planet. Astronomer Krisztián Sárneczky found the small rocky object using the Schmidt telescope at the Piszkésteto Mountain Station. Two hours later, it was confirmed to hit Earth. It is said that the rock probably burned up in our atmosphere, leaving no trace of it.

Asteroid found hours before it crashed into Earth

Astronomers says that the asteroid was 10 feet wide and was moving at a blistering speed of 11 miles per second. Hence the size of the rock was not big enough to cause us any harm.

What happened after it hit Earth? It is believed that the rock entirely burned up in the skies, or if it survived, it may have fallen into the Arctic Ocean. Some have reported that they witnessed a flash of light over Iceland on March 12. Other say they witnessed a sonic boon at the same time. There's no visual confirmation though and it is yet to be known whether any residual remains of the rock exist.

The 2022 EB5 became the fifth asteroid tone discovered prior to its impact with Earth. While such asteroids are of no grave threat to us, the bigger ones that have passed us recently have posed danger. Asteroids the size of Burj Khalifa and even taller structures have passed us within a million miles of Earth over the last few months. If such bigger ones point towards Earth, there's nothing that cane done to save us from the troubles.

However, NASA is testing its DART mission that will give us a demo later this year. The mission consists of a spacecraft that will hit an asteroid in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, observing whether the impact changes the course of the rock. While it is not possible to blow up an asteroid, changing its course could help us survive such threats.