During the early hours of this morning (Feb 13), an asteroid exploded over the English Channel after it hurled through the Earth's atmosphere. The small 1m asteroid was visible as far south as Paris, France, with people in southern England and Wales having the best view.
When the astronomical rock, currently being known as Sar2667, exploded, it created a shooting star and an 'airburst' - which is a cosmic event that occurs when a comet or meteorite explodes high in the Earth's atmosphere, instead of striking the surface.
Speaking to Wales Online, American Physicist and airburst specialist Mark Boslough, from the Los Alamos National Laboratory, explained that although "airbursts of this size happen somewhere several times per year" it is very rare they are discovered in advance. He added that this airburst was only the seventh time in history one has ever been discovered advance.
