The stillness of the night is routine for astronomers, but not all nights are routine. For Jacqueline Fazekas, one night in September 2024 became unforgettable. While combing the skies, she spotted something faint—a flash that would soon make global headlines. It was a 3-foot asteroid, and within hours, it would streak through the Earth’s atmosphere above the Philippines, creating a fireball visible to sky-watchers below. Fazekas, a member of NASA’s Catalina Sky Survey (CSS), had just joined an elite group, becoming the first woman to detect an asteroid prior to its impact on the Earth’s atmosphere.
“I was working last night and finding some objects, and one of the objects that I saw was a faint detection, but it looked real,” Fazekas recalls of her discovery. That faint detection was the asteroid now named CAQTDL2, which had only a 25% chance of impacting Earth’s atmosphere. But within a few hours, Fazekas and her team were certain—the asteroid had a 100% chance of atmospheric entry.
“A 100% Chance of Atmospheric Entry”
When Fazekas first submitted the object for review using NASA’s Scout software, she knew the detection might not amount to anything. “It’s normal to have objects come back with maybe a 0.01% impact chance,” she explains. “Usually, the initial observations are uncertain and go away once we follow up.” But this object was different. As telescopes from around the world began tracking it, they soon confirmed what Fazekas suspected: the asteroid was headed for Earth’s atmosphere. But “impact” in this case didn’t mean a catastrophic collision—it referred to the asteroid entering the atmosphere and burning up before reaching the ground.
By mid-morning the next day, at 12:39 p.m. ET, the asteroid burned up harmlessly over Luzon Island in the Philippines. Despite Typhoon Yagi’s cloud cover, sky-watchers were treated to a dramatic fireball, which was captured in videos and photos submitted to the International Meteor Organization (IMO). The fireball’s brightness and visibility over the northern Philippines lit up the skies, thrilling observers who shared the moment widely on social media. While some fragments may have scattered into the ocean, the asteroid posed no danger, having disintegrated before reaching the ground.
“I Never Thought I’d Find an Impactor”
Asteroids this size—just over a meter in diameter—are not uncommon. Space agencies estimate that such objects hit Earth’s atmosphere roughly every two weeks. At the time, this impactor was one of only nine of these objects spotted before they entered the atmosphere. The feat is rare, not because of the frequency of impacts, but because of the challenges in spotting small, fast-moving objects in the vast expanse of space. Fazekas reflects on her unexpected success, saying, “I never thought I’d be finding an impactor, especially. I’ve worked here two-and-a-half years. I haven’t even found a comet yet, which are usually a lot more common.”
Her achievement isn’t just a matter of luck, though. Fazekas made history with this discovery, becoming the first woman to spot an asteroid before it hit Earth’s atmosphere. She credits her experience at Embry-Riddle, where she operated telescopes and pursued a dual major in astrophysics and space physics. “I think I’m very fortunate to have had that opportunity,” she says, explaining how her education laid the foundation for her role at the Catalina Sky Survey (CSS), a NASA-funded project operated through the University of Arizona. “It wasn’t necessarily my dream to become an astronomer, but I really love what I do.”
The Role of Asteroid Hunting Technology
Fazekas works with some of the world’s most advanced asteroid-tracking equipment. On the night of her discovery, she was using a one-and-a-half-meter reflector telescope on Mount Lemmon in Arizona. “We survey the sky every night except for a couple of nights around the full moon,” she explains. Her job involves comparing multiple images of the same section of the sky and looking for anything moving. The process, aided by computers that flag potential objects, is demanding but highly rewarding.
“You get a feeling for it,” Fazekas says of her ability to spot real objects. “Whether what you’re looking at is just hot pixels or noise or stars or whether it’s an actual object.” Her keen eye and quick judgment, combined with sophisticated tracking software like Scout, are what made it possible to confirm the asteroid’s atmospheric entry. Despite the small size of the object, Fazekas’s discovery was a significant triumph, showcasing how rapidly technology is improving in the field of asteroid tracking.
Joining the Asteroid Club
The Catalina Sky Survey is no stranger to asteroid discoveries, with its members responsible for eight of the nine pre-impact detections. Fazekas joins an illustrious group that includes astronomers like Richard Kowalski and David Rankin. She received congratulations from her team and other observers in the community, recognizing the significance of her contribution to asteroid tracking.
Asteroid hunting may sound like a glamorous job, but it’s filled with long nights and quiet moments of solitude. Fazekas spends 12 nights out of every 28 alone on the mountaintop observatory. “It’s not a job for a social person,” she admits with a laugh, describing the lifestyle that comes with the role. But even though the work requires long hours and isolation, the thrill of discovery makes it worthwhile.
From Asteroids to Academia
While Fazekas is celebrated for her asteroid discovery, her career ambitions stretch beyond space. She’s currently pursuing graduate studies in education, with plans to eventually return to academia. “In May, I completed my master’s in education, focusing on secondary math and gifted education. Now I’ve started my Ph.D., and I’m hoping to study gifted education specifically.” Her fascination with teaching and outreach ties into her passion for astronomy. “We do a lot of tours here at the observatory, and I’ve always loved the outreach side of it,” she explains. “I think someday I’ll combine my love for science with my love for education.” But for now, Fazekas is enjoying her unique role in the world of asteroid hunting. “It really is something that anybody can do,” she says, emphasizing that her journey was a mix of preparation and luck. “There’s definitely a good possibility that we wouldn’t see these things, or that I might not be the person to see it,” she admits. Yet, with more telescopes coming online and technology continuing to advance, Fazekas is hopeful that many more discoveries are on the horizon.