A small asteroid named CERNQ52 entered Earth’s atmosphere over the Indian Ocean near northwest Australia on September 6, 2026.

The asteroid was estimated to be less than one meter (about three feet) across and was discovered by the Mount Lemmon Observatory only about six hours before impact.

Scientists predicted that the object would harmlessly burn up in the atmosphere, potentially producing a bright meteor or fireball visible from parts of Australia.

The event marked the 13th time astronomers have successfully detected an asteroid in space before it struck Earth’s atmosphere, Earth Sky has reported.

Because of its tiny size and remote impact location, CERNQ52 posed no danger to people or property, but its detection provided another valuable demonstration of improving planetary-defense monitoring.