Western researchers document the sixth ever asteroid spotted prior to impact

(Source: Nazarii Neshcherenskyi/iStock/Getty Images Plus)

Researchers at Western University that documented a 2022 fireball over southwestern Ontario have made history as having studied the smallest asteroid documented to date.

Scientists determined the composition and size of Asteroid 2022 WJ1 as it streaked across the night sky, before it fractured while entering earth’s atmosphere and dropped meteorites in the Niagara region.

Only the sixth asteroid ever discovered prior to impact, the space rock responsible for all the fuss was a mere 40-60 cm in diameter.

“Our new approach, discovering an asteroid through space observation and then subsequently observing it with cameras from the ground, allowed us to confirm that our estimates match well to estimates derived using a completely different approach,” said Denis Vida, Western physics and astronomy adjunct professor.

A timelapse image of the fireball event from start to finish. (Source: Western Meteor Group)

The combination of camera networks, as well as telescopes allowed for a more precise understanding of the composition and size of the asteroid, which entered the atmosphere above London before streaking through the sky and splintering near St. Catharine’s.

“This is only the second time that an asteroid has been meaningfully characterized with telescopes prior to it impacting the Earth,” said Teddy Kareta, postdoctoral associate, Lowell Observatory. “This first-ever comparison between telescopic and fireball camera data is extremely exciting, and means we’ll be able to characterize the next asteroid to impact the Earth in even better detail.”

Although researchers have combed the projected area of impact for asteroid fragments, at this point none have been found – unfortunately, a large swath of the projected impact area means that much of the meteor would have landed in Lake Ontario.

“There are people in the area who are searching and know what to look for,” said Phil McCausland, a Western Earth sciences adjunct professor and Meteor Physics Group researcher. “We may still get lucky and find a meteorite or two from this fall in the coming months and years.”