I'm a professional asteroid hunter - and this is what NASA is not telling you about the space rocks on a collision course for Earth
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This week, an asteroid slammed into Earth's atmosphere and exploded in a ball of fire above Siberia. From the time the space rock was spotted by NASA to the time it hit Earth, space agencies around the world had just seven hours to react. Luckily for Earth, this asteroid was only 70cm across and burned up harmlessly in the air - but for asteroid hunter Franck Marchis, this was too close for comfort.
![[Franck Marchis (pictured) senior astronomer at the SETI Institute and founder of UNISTELLAR, told MailOnline that the only way to protect Earth from asteroids is for civilians to spot the threats that NASA misses]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/06/15/92876335-14165187-Frack_Marchis_pictured_senior_astronomer_at_the_SETI_Institute_a-a-27_1733498140736.jpg)
Dr Marchis, senior astronomer at the SETI Institute and founder of the UNISTELLAR citizen astronomer network, told MailOnline: 'If it had been slightly bigger, that would been a very different story.'. While institutes like NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) keep a close watch for any space rocks that threaten Earth, there simply aren't enough people watching the sky to catch everything.
![[Just like the film 'Don't Look Up', on Christmas Day 2004, Dr Marchis detected an asteroid that was predicted to collide with Earth. However, unlike the film, Dr Marchis spotted the 400m-long space rock when there were only four hours before it was expected to hit]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/06/16/92879879-14165187-image-a-23_1733502594729.jpg)
If scientists want to save humanity from a potential 'city killer' asteroid we need years of warning, not a handful of hours. The solution, according to Dr Marchis, is to enlist amateur astronomers to fill in the gaps left behind by the professionals.
![[This week an asteroid exploded over Russia. The asteroid was discovered early Tuesday morning by a NASA-funded telescope only seven hours before it hit the atmosphere]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/06/14/92753213-14165187-The_asteroid_was_discovered_early_Tuesday_morning_by_a_NASA_fund-m-15_1733497112927.jpg)
Dr Marchis says: 'Asteroids can come at any moment towards Earth. Having eyes on the sky everywhere in the world allows us to track them.'. Professional asteroid hunter Franck Marchis says that governmental space agencies like NASA and ESA can't protect Earth from an impending asteroid impact alone.
![[In 2004, Dr Marchis detected the asteroid 400m-wide 2004 MN4. At the time, calculations suggested it may hit Earth within hours of its discovery]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/06/15/92876337-14165187-In_2004_Mr_Marchis_detected_the_asteroid_400m_wide_2004_MN4_At_t-a-28_1733498253819.jpg)
