Asteroid lights up the sky over the English Channel Islands
For only the seventh time in recorded history, space enthusiasts gathered to watch a once in a million asteroid airburst. This astrological event occurred on Feb. 13 at about 3 a.m.
Resembling a massive shooting star, the asteroid dashed the sky, momentarily as bright as the moon, over the English Channel Islands ending its run with a self-combusting explosion. The airburst was reported to have been seen as far as Paris, France.
The asteroid, named S2667 by scientists, was best viewed by onlookers in England, some enthusiasts reported to have stayed up all night for this occasion. The asteroid was about as large as a handful of stones, but its significance in the sky streaked far larger.
The event, lasting about eight seconds long, swept diagonally across the sky, turning from a bright white to a green before self combusting and disappearing, just as suddenly as its appearance.
Modern technology ensured that this rare event would be shared with as many as possible. The European Space Agency (ESA), used the Imminent Impactor System, which sends out alerts when an astrological event or impact is about to occur. The system sent out an alert to people in surrounding areas announcing the time and place the asteroid would take place, allowing them to experience this rare occurrence.
