spacetoday.net: Small asteroid to burn up over Africa

Small asteroid to burn up over Africa

Posted: Mon, Oct 6, 2008, 9:38 PM ET (0138 GMT)
A newly-discovered small asteroid will enter the Earth's atmosphere and burn up over Africa in the early morning hours Tuesday, NASA announced Monday. The asteroid, 2008 TC3, will enter the Earth's atmosphere at about 10:46 pm EDT Monday (0246 GMT, 5:46 am local time) over northern Sudan and burn up in the upper atmosphere. The asteroid is only about two meters in diameter and, while releasing the energy equivalent of one kiloton of TNT, poses little risk to people or property on the ground. The asteroid was discovered just Sunday night by the University of Arizona's Catalina Sky Survey. Astronomers estimate that objects this size enter the Earth's atmosphere a few times a year, but this is the first time an asteroid has been found beforehand.