BA Blog: Incoming!!!
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The meteors (what some people call shooting stars) you see randomly on an average night are as small as a grain of sand. Something as big as a grape would make a very bright fireball. A rock two meters across will be incredible.
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Center for Astrophysics: Boulder-sized Asteroid Will Burn Up in Earth's Atmosphere Tonight
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A tiny asteroid discovered just hours ago at an Arizona observatory will enter Earth's atmosphere harmlessly at approximately 10:46 p.m. Eastern time tonight (2:46 a.m. Greenwich Mean Time). There is no danger to people or property since the asteroid will not reach the ground.
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And, conspiracy theorists who think the big bad government would cover up news of this nature, this is the speed with which the next big one would be reported, too -- except being big we'd be more likely to know about it weeks or months or years in advance.
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"We want to stress that this object is not a threat," said Dr. Timothy Spahr, director of the International Astronomical Union's Minor Planet Center.
"We're excited since this is the first time we have issued a prediction that an object will enter Earth's atmosphere," Spahr added. Odds are between 99.8 and 100 percent that the object will encounter Earth, according to calculations provided by Andrea Milani of the University of Pisa.
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I can't wait for the movies.