C0WEPC5, as the asteroid has been temporarily named, entered Earth's atmosphere at 1:15 a.m. local time on Dec. 4 over Russia's remote Sakha Republic, also known as Yakutia, in northeastern Siberia. Local officials were placed on alert, the Sakha emergencies ministry noted, but no damage was reported during the event.

A small asteroid was visible in northern Siberia on Tuesday, as it closed in on its collision course with Earth. It's the first of two expected asteroid fly-bys this week. The European Space Agency issued an alert for the 27-inch asteroid at 4:27 a.m. ET ...