Small 'imminent impactor' asteroid targeting Earth expected to produce 'nice fireball'

A completely harmless and tiny asteroid was detected early on a collision course with Earth on Tuesday.

Measuring about 27 inches wide, the asteroid was detected by astronomers at the Kitt Peak National Observatory near Tucson, Arizona, according to the European Space Agency.

The asteroid was expected to hit Earth’s atmosphere this morning around 11:15 a.m. ET.

In a social media post, the European Space Agency said the asteroid was a completely harmless event and was even expected to produce a “nice fireball in the sky over northern Siberia.”

This is the fourth time this year an asteroid has been designated as an “imminent impactor,” according to physicist Richard Moissl. Back in October, another asteroid was discovered by the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) in Hawaii, according to Space.com. The asteroid was discovered two hours before it burned up over the Pacific Ocean over Hawaii.

What is an imminent impactor?

An imminent impactor is an asteroid that is discovered hours before its impact on the Earth’s atmosphere.

According to Space.com, the European Space Agency as well as others around the planet have sensors and radars that look for any incoming asteroids like the one on Tuesday.

Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach him at [email protected] and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Harmless asteroid detected on collision course with Earth Tuesday