In the early hours of February 13, an unusual and astounding phenomenon occurred as a meteorite seen as a fireball lighting up the sky of the French city of Rouen.
It was also visible from other European countries, such as Belgium, the Netherlands or the United Kingdom.
The astronomers had already been following the trail of this body for hours since the previous day, and finally confirmed that it had a 100% probability of hitting the Earth, although it did not present any risk to people or property.
Likewise, thanks to the earlier sighting of the body, it had also been possible to calculate the trajectory of the meteorite, having the proof that the place of impact was located between the English Channel, between France and the United Kingdom.
Finally, the officially named 2023 CX1 lit up the skies of France at 02:59 UTC.
Got It! How beautiful! #Sar2667 #Asteroid pic.twitter.com/tpLQkJpcCv
— Kade 🧑🏻🔬🌌 (@KadeFlowers) February 13, 2023
According to information from the American Meteorite Society, this fireball could be seen in many European countries, such as the United Kingdom, Belgium or the Netherlands.
The images and videos of the meteorite were also published on social media.
The most positive reading of this spectacular episode is that astronomers managed to detect an asteroid with great anticipation and accuracy.
This can give a great margin of maneuver in a hypothetical case where the Earth is threatened by any other astral body.
