‘Fireball’ seen over Swindon as asteroid passes Earth

Sightings in the sky were reported across Swindon both Friday night and Saturday morning as green flashes or a “huge exploding star”.

While it cannot be confirmed as the explanation, NASA predicted asteroids named 2024 RN16 would pass Earth around those times.(Image: Public submission)

The first sightings of a “fireball” over Swindon were on Friday, September 13, between 8 and 8.45pm.

Comments online included: “I saw it. Was amazing. Similar to a shooting star but much closer, bigger, brighter and shot across the sky at a slower pace.”

Another described: “At first I thought it was a firework but it didn’t explode like one just like fire through the sky.”(Image: Public submission)

Another said it was “bright green” - this colour can be from nickel, a common component of a meteor's core.

A second sighting was recorded early on the morning of September 14. 

One person told the Adver: “There was something burning up with a red trail heading towards the ground, and being followed by another object moving at high speed. 

“This was around 6:30am, and I could see it between J16 and Old Town, then Liden.”(Image: Public submission)

Travelling at 65,095mph, the 33-metre wide asteroid 2024 RN16 was predicted by NASA’s Center for Near-Earth Object Studies to come within one million miles of Earth at 8.46am on September 14.

Another smaller asteroid, 2024 RK13, was predicted to come even closer to Earth in the evening, around 9.05pm.

Fast moving asteroids show up as a red, green and blue dot in succession. Very fast moving asteroids may appear as colored streaks.

According to the Economic Times: “If an asteroid the size of 2024 RN16 were to hit Earth, the impact would be extremely destructive. 

A map shows how close one of the asteroids came to Earth (Image: NASA)“It is estimated that if the asteroid entered Earth's atmosphere, it would explode 29 kilometers above the ground, releasing energy equivalent to 16 megatons of TNT.”

NASA’s Center for Near-Earth Object Studies monitors asteroids and comets to assess their impact risk, as an impact as described above is expected once every 990 years.

Fortunately, 2024 RN16 will pass by Earth safely without causing any effect. 

A NASA spokesperson is reported as saying: "With NASA’s vigilant monitoring, Earth remains protected from the dangers of space rocks like 2024 RN16."