A newly discovered asteroid is on a collision course for Earth and will hit our atmosphere in just a matter of hours.
The asteroid, designated COWECP5, is forecasted to streak through the sky over Eastern Siberia at 11:14am ET.
Scientists say the small space rock, measuring 27 inches in diameter, is expected to burn up in the atmosphere and poses no threat to humans on the ground.
The asteroid was spotted by NASA’s Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System, which was designed to provide scientists with up to a week’s notice of impending asteroids.
It was detected seven hours before it is due to hit, which is only the 12th time scientists have accurately reported an asteroid before it struck.
This event will also marks the fourth asteroid to hit Earth’s atmosphere this year.
The NASA-funded Kitt Peak National Observatory, a project that tracks near-Earth objects, also spotted the asteroid early Tuesday.
Richard Moissl, the head of planetary defense office with the ESA, said Kitt Peak’s Aegis system had already calculated the asteroid’s ‘impact corridor.’