A graphic illustration shows the asteroid’s path towards Earth.

Gulf Today, Staff Reporter

The International Astronomy Centre (IAC) in Abu Dhabi has announced the discovery of a minor asteroid, provisionally designated CAQTDL2. Initial calculations indicate that the asteroid will collide with Earth today, Wednesday, September 4, 2024, at 16:49 GMT (with an error of plus or minus 15 minutes), in an area north of the Philippines.

It will subsequently traverse the sky of the Arab region before colliding with Earth, specifically from the east of the Arab region from the UAE, Oman and the eastern Arabian Gulf.

Engineer Mohammed Shawkat Odeh, Director of the International Astronomy Centre, stated that the asteroid was recently monitored at 6:00 am GMT by an observatory with a diameter of 1.5 meters situated in the state of Arizona in the United States. At the time of observation, the asteroid exhibited a magnitude of 21.

Furthermore, the observations conducted on the asteroid over the past few hours, amounting to 23 in total, have revealed that its diameter is approximately 1.6 metres. Consequently, it can be concluded that the asteroid does not present a danger to Earth. It is probable that the asteroid will disintegrate and cease to exist upon entering the Earth's atmosphere, with only minor components reaching the planet, which will not pose a threat, Odeh added.

He further explained that the astronomical calculations have demonstrated that the asteroid will exhibit a brightness of approximately magnitude 15 at that juncture, rendering it discernible solely through intermediate telescopes and in a completely dark environment.