A 15-meter asteroid has just flipped the Earth

A 15-meter-asteroid-sized asteroid exploded in the Russian sky in February, just discovered a few hours before it flew over the Earth at a very close distance over the weekend , RIA Novosti quoted Russian scientists on September 30.

>>>Asteroids fly over Earth

Expert Vladimir Lipunov of Moscow University and Sternberg Institute of Astronomy (Russia) said that he and his colleagues used a telescope network to record an asteroid flying near Earth.

Asteroids (arrow positions) of 15 meters in size fly very close to Earth - (Photo:olivieromannucci.blogspot.com)

The asteroid was discovered on September 27 night from the astronomical station near Lake Baikal and 9 hours later, it flew about 11,300 km from the Earth's surface, below the orbit of geostationary satellites. It is about 15 meters in size, said Lipunov.

Scientists initially thought that it was possible that an artificial object, such as a rocket, burned up fuel, but later they confirmed it was not an asteroid.

Lipunov expert for RIA Novosti said that his group had reported the discovery to the International Astronomical Association but they have not yet received a reply.

It is reported that on February 15, a 17-20 meter asteroid exploded in the sky of Russia's Chelyabinsk region, injuring about 1,500 people. This is considered the largest meteorite ever penetrated the Earth's atmosphere in 83 years.