A small asteroid, named 2023 CX1, entered Earth’s atmosphere on February 13, 2023, over northern France. It created a very bright flash of light, known as a fireball, that was seen by many people in France and even as far away as southern England.
The asteroid was about the size of a beach ball (around 72 centimetres or 28 inches across) and weighed about 650 kilograms (1,433 pounds).
It was special because it was only the seventh time an asteroid impact had been predicted before it happened. Scientists spotted it about seven hours before it hit.
Most meteors break apart slowly as they enter the atmosphere. However, this one did not. It strayed in one piece until it was very low, at an altitude of about 28 kilometres (17 miles), and then exploded all at once in a single, powerful burst. This kind of event is known as an ‘abrupt fragmenter.’
The explosion was powerful, releasing energy equal to about 29 tons of TNT. This is a lot of energy to be released in one single point.
Eyewitnesses reported a “sudden burst of light accompanied by a low rumble.” Some people were concerned, thinking it might be a UFO or a military event. However, astronomers quickly confirmed it was a natural asteroid.
Auriane Egal, a researcher at the University of Western Ontario, described the event by saying, “It was similar to a bomb,” adding that it was a “single blow that generated one spherical shockwave, not multiple detonations all along its trajectory.”
After the explosion, pieces of the asteroid, called meteorites, fell to the ground across the Normandy countryside.
This event is very important for “planetary defense.” The unexpected way the asteroid exploded showed scientists that even small, common space rocks can be more dangerous than previously thought if they behave this way.
If a larger asteroid were to do the same thing, the shockwave on the ground could be much stronger and more localised, which could change how we prepare for and respond to such threats.
The largest single meteorite ever found is the Hoba meteorite.