Asteroid hunters in Arizona discovered a space rock that crashed in Russia.

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A team of Tucson astronomers from the University of Arizona recently made headlines for their role in discovering and tracking an asteroid that fell over Russia. The Catalina Sky Survey, working with the Spacewatch team, used the university’s Bok telescope to follow the object until its fiery entry into Earth’s atmosphere. Survey director Carson Fuls explained that the team regularly finds near-Earth objects and tracks them to determine their trajectory. The asteroid was spotted streaking across eastern Russia, confirming the Sky Survey’s predictions. Fuls reassured the public that there was no cause for alarm, but the incident served as a test of the planetary defense system’s ability to locate and monitor such objects. The Spacewatch team continues to utilize the Bok telescope, which has been observing the skies since 1969. Additionally, thousands of citizen scientists are involved in asteroid tracking efforts, with information available through the Zooniverse platform.

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Photo credit news.azpm.org