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Asteroid 2026 RW1 impacts Earth over Indian Ocean about 7 hours after discovery, becomes 13th known asteroid detected before impact
The Watchers - Watching the world evolve and transform • • science
Key Points:
- Asteroid 2026 RW1 struck Earth over the Indian Ocean northwest of Australia on September 6, 2026, just over 7 hours after its discovery, marking the 13th known asteroid detected prior to impact.
- The European Space Agency (ESA) tracked the asteroid using its Meerkat system, estimating its diameter between 0.6 and 1.3 meters, and confirmed its impact location near 13.77°S, 116.43°E.
- Due to its small size and faintness, 2026 RW1 was only observable shortly before impact, burning up in the atmosphere with negligible chance of meteorite recovery.
- This event provided another important test for planetary defense systems aimed at early detection and trajectory refinement of small near-Earth objects.
- 2026 RW1 follows asteroid 2026 JN4 as the most recent predicted impactor, with JN4 hitting Earth in May 2026 after about three hours of tracking.
