This was the first time in history that astronomers were able to detect and to predict a meteor impact before it actually happened. In the past, scientists were limited to witnessing various celestial bodies being burnt and disintegrated in the upper layers of the atmosphere, due to intense friction. But on Monday, due to the "luck factor," NASA managed to notice the 5-meter (15 feet) wide rock on a direct collision path to Earth.
 

The asteroid was completely destroyed in the atmosphere, leaving a huge trail behind as it decomposed, which could be seen as far as 400 miles away. Astronomers estimated it entered the atmosphere somewhere over Sudan, but they said that debris could have reached as far as Saudi Arabia. "The event is not unusual," said Andrea Milani Comparetti of the University of Pisa in Italy; "what is unique is that it's been predicted beforehand."
 

The rock entered our planet's atmosphere from west to east at 02.46 GMT, at an angle of about 20 degrees. The energy it gave off during entry was as significant as that of a small, 1 kiloton nuclear blast. It moved swiftly and was engulfed in flames most of the way, resulting in a beautiful "shooting star." Astronomer Steve Chesley, at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, said that the discovery of this meteor on a collision course to Earth was proof that the early detection systems employed by scientists were working.

 
The fact that this small asteroid had little effect on our planet does not mean that others will have the same one. Milani and Chesley argue that there might be significantly larger asteroids or even comets out there that are currently on a straight path towards Earth. These threats could very well be neutralized if people get a warning before it's too late. As members of the only two groups that deal with this type of research, both scientists recognized the importance of the detection of this asteroid as a major leap forward in anticipatory astronomy.