Astronomers have uncovered fragments of a 1.83m-wide asteroid that struck Botswana in 2018. 23 pieces of the asteroid were found in Botswana’s Central Kalahari Game Reserve. The astronomers believe that the asteroid took just under 23 million years to get here and after studying the fragments, they believe to have come from our solar system’s asteroid belt. The fragments come from an asteroid that astronomers at the University of Arizona saw in the early hours of June 2, 2018 as it was approaching Earth. A few hours later, the 1.83m-wide space rock – named 2018 LA – caught fire at a blistering 60,000 kilometre per hour. It broke into tiny fragments that rained down across Botswana. This was only the second time astronomers have spotted an asteroid in space before it hit Earth.
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