Electronic Telegram No. 5477
Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams
Mailing address:  Hoffman Lab 209; Harvard University;
 20 Oxford St.; Cambridge, MA  02138; U.S.A.
e-mail:  cbatiau@eps.harvard.edu (alternate cbat@iau.org)
URL http://www.cbat.eps.harvard.edu/index.html
Prepared using the Tamkin Foundation Computer Network


2024 XA_1
     P. Veres, Minor Planet Center, announced on MPEC 2024-X68 the discovery
on Dec. 3.2 UT of a fast-moving object of magnitude around 20 by V. F.
Carvajal on CCD images obtained with the Bok 2.25-m reflector at Kitt Peak.
Many observations were acquired by a dozen other observatories during the
following ten hours after the object, now designated 2024 XA_1, was posted on
the MPC's NEOCP webpage with the provisional designation C0WEPC5.  The
apparently natural small minor planet brightened to mag 16.5 over the ten-
hour span of observation, and the astrometry permitted a precise prediction
of the object's entry into the earth's atmosphere on Dec. 3d16h15m UT over
eastern Siberia, in a remote area north of Olekminsk, which was confirmed
by videos of the fireball that have been posted online.  Veres' orbit is that
of a low-inclination (i = 0.11 deg), high-eccentricity (e = 0.50) minor
planet with q = 0.85 AU and orbital period 2.2 yr.  The absolute magnitude of
33.0 suggests an object of size 0.6-1.6 meters.  This would be the eleventh
known natural object to impact the earth's atmosphere after discovery by
ground-based telescopes (cf. CBET 5465).


NOTE: These 'Central Bureau Electronic Telegrams' are sometimes
      superseded by text appearing later in the printed IAU Circulars.

                         (C) Copyright 2024 CBAT
2024 December 7                  (CBET 5477)              Daniel W. E. Green