1-Meter Meteorite to Strike Earth Safely Over Northern France [Report]

A space rock is approaching Earth and it will strike the planet. There is no need to worry, though, because it will reportedly make a safe strike.

Asteroid to Make a Safe Strike on Earth

Astronomers have spotted an asteroid that is set to crash with our planet. The 1-meter space rock dubbed Sar2667 will hit Earth's atmosphere over northern France around 1 p.m. ET Sunday evening, the European Space Agency (ESA) said, Fox News reported.

The meteorite will be visible in Belgium, the Netherlands, northern France, and southern England, according to the International Meteor Organization.

It's the seventh time the experts have spotted a meteorite before it collides with Earth. ESA attributed the early detection of space to the rapid advancements in global asteroid detection capabilities.

The last asteroid detected was 2022 WJ1 and it was spotted just four hours before it lit up the skies over Toronto, Canada, on Nov. 19 2022.

The outlet added that small meteoroids like Sar667 are not a cause of concern even if they hit Earth because of their size. Also, there are over 1.1 million asteroids, about 30,600 of which are near-Earth asteroids because they orbit close enough to Earth, according to ESA.

ALSO READ: 4,265-Foot Asteroid Could Potentially Crash Into Earth's Orbit Next Week: Report

Asteroid 199145 (2005 YY128) Making Close Approach to Earth This Week

Meanwhile, another asteroid is reportedly heading toward our planet and unlike the meteoroid mentioned above, 199145 (2005 YY128) is massive as it measures between 1,870 and 4,265 feet wide. The near-Earth object is reportedly bigger than the famous Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, United States.

However, according to Space Reference, the space rock is categorized as Apollo-class Asteroid and will pass within 4,597,732 km of Earth. It was initially classified as "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass with Earth.

It reportedly orbits the Sun every 774 days and comes as close as 0.44 AU and reaches as far as 2.86 AU. Its orbit is highly elliptical.

199145 (2005 YY128)'s orbit is 0.03 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point, so there is still a wide gap between the space rock and our planet.

2005 YY128 will make 12 close approaches in the coming days.

According to Daily Star, NASA couldn't say if it would collide with the Earth's orbit and cause damage. Its size alone is a cause of concern, but the distance from Earth, as mentioned above, is not close enough for a collision.

The American agency will issue a warning if there's a threat. NASA will notify the public when there's (1) a very close encounter and (2) a potential impact. According to NASA's Planetary Defense Officer, Lindley Johnson, there are many factors at play when it comes to the impact of asteroids on Earth - their size and composition.

When the space rock is not big enough, it will detonate in the Earth's atmosphere or closer to the ground. Most asteroids turn to meteorites and fall as small rocky bodies when they reach the surface.