What are the origins of this fun-filled festive custom?
Here are some of the most significant near-Earth objects (NEO), listed by the date they were closest to Earth, and their size.
Date: February 4, 2011
Size: 1 m (3 ft)
This small asteroid was only spotted 14 hours before it passed by our planet.
Date: April 15, 2018
Size: 46–100 m (150-328 ft)
This asteroid could have made some significant impact had it hit Earth.
Date: April 4, 2017
Size: 2–7 m (6-22 ft)
This meteor was as big as a car!
Date: October 20, 2017
Size: 1–5 m (3-16 ft)
This asteroid was the second closest to Earth that year.
Date: March 31, 2004
Size: 4–12 m (13-39 ft)
Earth's gravitational field made this asteroid change its course.
Sources: (NASA) (Gizmodo) (Space) (The Watchers) (Bended Reality) (EarthSky) (Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society) (MIT) (The Atlantic) (New Scientist)
See also: Like 22 atomic bombs: The asteroid that will hit the Earth is called Bennu
Date: November 6, 2009
Size: 4–13 m (13-43 ft)
This asteroid was spotted by the Catalina Sky Survey about 15 hours before it approached Earth.
Date: June 27, 2011
Size: 14 m (46 ft)
Scientists first mistook this asteroid for a piece of space debris.
Date: May 29, 2012
Size: 9 m (30 ft)
NASA captured video footage of this asteroid approach.
Date: September 22, 2015
Size: 3–14 m (9-46 ft)
This one was as big as a bus!
This is essentially a meteoroid that manages to pass through the Earth's atmosphere and hit the planet's surface.
Date: November 15, 2015
Size: 4–9 m (13-30 ft)
This one came closer to our planet than TV and weather satellites orbit.
Date: January 12, 2016
Size: 3–7 m (10-23 ft)
This asteroid has passed close to Earth previously.
Date: March 11, 2016
Size: 16–31 m (52-102 ft)
This one was only discovered four days after it passed by Earth.
These are small particles from a comet or asteroid.
Date: November 17, 2010
Size: 2–6 m (7-20 ft)
The speed at which this asteroid rotated fascinated scientists.
Date: March 2, 2017
Size: 1–5 m (3-16 ft)
Astronomers detected this asteroid only six hours before its closest approach to Earth.
Date: February 25, 2016
Size: 2–5 m (6-16 ft)
This was one of the closest objects to have passed Earth in 2016.
NASA calculates that around every 2,000 years, a meteoroid the size of an American football field hits Earth.
Date: September 18, 2024
Size: 220-480 m (721-1,575 ft)
The 2024 ON asteroid made its last pass close to Earth in 2013, and is expected to make another approach in 2035. NASA identified the asteroid on September 9, which was traveling at an astonishing 25,855 mph (40,000 km/h).
Date: February 15, 2013
Size: 20 m (approximately 65 ft)
This asteroid was comparable in size to a small building and disintegrated above the city of Chelyabinsk, damaging structures and leaving 1,491 people injured.
NASA reports that since October 2023, 132 known asteroids have passed closer to Earth than the moon. In total, there have been over 36,000 documented asteroid flybys. Adding to this activity, asteroid 2020 XR is set to pass by Earth at 12:27 am ET on December 4, according to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Click through this gallery to discover some of the close calls from the last 20 years.
Asteroid enters Earth’s atmosphere creating fireball in Siberia
Nasa is also tracking a second major asteroid
LIFESTYLE Meteors
A small asteroid, temporarily designated C0WEPC5, was observed over northern Siberia on Tuesday, marking the fourth asteroid impact detected this year. Measuring 27 inches (69 centimeters), the space rock entered Earth’s atmosphere at 11:15 am ET over Yakutia, Russia, creating a striking fireball visible to residents. This event is part of two asteroid flybys expected this week, showcasing advancements in early detection and monitoring of near-Earth objects.
NASA reports that since October 2023, 132 known asteroids have passed closer to Earth than the moon. In total, there have been over 36,000 documented asteroid flybys. Adding to this activity, asteroid 2020 XR is set to pass by Earth at 12:27 am ET on December 4, according to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Click through this gallery to discover some of the close calls from the last 20 years.