Asteroid Was Correctly Forecast, Only the 7th Time Ever

ESA gave people a heads-up, and UK sky watchers got a treat
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 14, 2023 11:44 AM CST

The European Space Agency dashed off what turned out to be a pretty impressive prediction—and people who live near the English Channel and paid attention were rewarded in the wee hours of Monday. That's when a small asteroid streaked through the sky and put on a light show of sorts over parts of England and France, reports the BBC. Thanks to the public heads-up by the ESA, scores of people posted images and video on social media. The Telegraph also compiled videos here.

For the record, the asteroid was named Sar2667, and it was detected in advance by the ESA and NASA's Center for Near-Earth Object Studies, per the Washington Post. "In the area? Look out for a #ShootingStar!" the ESA tweeted Sunday, providing the correct time of about 4am local time. That marks only the seventh time in history that an asteroid strike has been called in advance, a feat the ESA chalks up to "rapid advancements in global asteroid detection capabilities." (More asteroids stories.)

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