WATCH: Asteroid explodes, lands in Botswana

WATCH: Asteroid explodes, lands near Botswana

An asteroid has crashed near Botswana - nine hours after being monitored by American scientists. 

Asteroid crashes in Botswana
Screengrab - Youtube video by Barend Swanepoel

Farmer, Barend Swanepoel captured video footage of the asteroid exploding into a fireball over Botswana. 

Swanepoel says his father's farm is close to Ottosdal in the North West. He was on his way home from his friend's farm when he saw the meteor.

The footage was captured this past weekend and uploaded on YouTube.

The Catalina Sky Survey in Arizona says it had been watching the celestial body for hours before it hurtled towards the Southern Africa region, travelling at a speed of 17 kilometers per second. 

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Researchers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory say this is the third event of its kind following the impact of an asteroid on October 7, 2008 lighting up the predawn sky above Northern Sudan. 

While on January 1, 2014 - another asteroid - believed to be measured at 2 to 4 meters descended into the Atlantic Ocean, Northeast of Brazil. 

Watch the asteroid land below. Video by Barend Swanepoel. 

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