Asteroid 2026 RW1 struck Earth over the Indian Ocean northwest of Australia on September 6, just over 7 hours after it was discovered, becoming the 13th known asteroid detected before hitting Earth. This event added another real-world test of planetary defense systems designed to identify small incoming objects, rapidly refine their trajectories, and determine where and when they will enter the atmosphere.<\/p>\n
ESA tracked the asteroid under the temporary identifier CERNQ52 using its Meerkat system and estimated its diameter at only 0.6\u20131.3 m (2\u20134.3 feet). Objects of this size are difficult to detect far in advance because they are intrinsically faint, often becoming observable only when they are already relatively close to Earth.<\/p>\n
As new observations were added, ESA classified 2026 RW1 as a confirmed impactor and determined the median impact position near 13.77\u00b0S, 116.43\u00b0E, over the Indian Ocean northwest of Australia.<\/p>\n
Meerkat is designed to assess newly detected objects when only a short observational arc is available. It tests a range of possible trajectories and narrows the solution as additional astrometric measurements arrive.<\/p>\n
\n\u2604\ufe0f\ud83c\udf87INCOMING! Our systems have calculated an atmospheric entry in the timeframe between 16:00-16:30 UTC of a harmless object discovered by Mt Lemmon survey with a diameter of ~0.8 m northwest of Australia over the ocean. The impact will likely cause a bright meteor @esaoperations<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/3xkXbCHqSo<\/a><\/p>\n
— Richard Moissl (@Richard_M_F) September 6, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n