LOS ANGELES, June 4 (Xinhua) -- A small asteroid had been discovered on Saturday and disintegrated over Africa hours later, according to the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
The tiny space rock was estimated to be only 6 feet (2 meters) long. It entered Earth's atmosphere at the high speed of 10 miles per second and disintegrated several miles above the surface, creating a fireball that lit up the evening sky, said NASA.
"This was a much smaller object than we are tasked to detect and warn about," said Lindley Johnson, Planetary Defense Officer at NASA Headquarters.
"However, this real-world event allows us to exercise our capabilities and gives some confidence our impact prediction models are adequate to respond to the potential impact of a larger object," said Johnson.
The asteroid was designated 2018 LA.
