<div><span style="font-size: 1rem;"><b>A small asteroid has entered the Earth's atmosphere and was seen lighting up the sky above the English Channel, creating a stunning shooting star effect.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The 1m (3ft) meteoroid - or small asteroid - was seen shortly before 03:00 GMT on Monday morning.</div><div><br></div><div>Social media users, some based in the south of England, shared footage of the rock which has been dubbed Sar2667.</div><div><br></div><div>It is just the seventh time an asteroid impact has been predicted in advance.</div><div><br></div><div>The European Space Agency tweeted that it was "a sign of the rapid advancements in global asteroid detection capabilities!"</div><div><br></div><div>A person who says they witnessed the event wrote on Twitter that the asteroid "lit up the sky with a pink flash which was spectacular."</div><div><br></div><div>Another said: "I just stood at my window and turned on my phone. I wasn't expecting much but it really was amazing."</div><div><br></div><div>The agency earlier said the object was expected to "safely strike" the earth's atmosphere near to the French city of Rouen.</div><div><br></div><div>The International Meteor Organization, a Belgium-based non-profit organisation, said the object would have entered about 4km (2.5 miles) from the French coast, and would create a "fireball" effect.</div><div><br></div><div>Asteroids are small rocky objects that orbit the sun, often described as minor planets.</div><div><br></div><div>Authorities are aware of more than 1.1 million asteroids, although the true number is believed to be much higher.</div><div><br></div><div>Around 30,600 travel in an orbit that brings them near Earth's own, according to the European Space Agency.</div><div><br></div><div>The last asteroid predicted to enter the Earth's atmosphere in advance was seen in the sky above Ontario, Canada in November last year.</div><div><br></div><div>In January, an asteroid the size of a minibus had been on a direct collision course with earth.</div><div><br></div><div>In reality, the rock would likely have disintegrated high in the atmosphere before impact.</div><div><br></div><div>Asteroid detection experts are most concerned about "goldilocks asteroids", much larger space rocks that could do serious damage to earth if they impact.</div><div><br></div><div>In October, the American space agency NASA announced its experiment to deflect the path of an asteroid had been successful. - BBC</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>