On June 2, 2018, astronomers detected a small asteroid merely eight hours before it struck the Earth’s atmosphere.

It was detected using the 60-inch telescope at Mt. Lemmon, which is part of the Catalina Sky Survey in Arizona

When the asteroid designated 2018 LA made impact, it produced a terrific explosion when it disintegrated  30 miles above Africa.

A team of researchers are now finding some of its meteorite fragments on the Central Kalahari Game Reserve in Botswana. The rocks will be studied further by a scientist in a research consortium.

This is the third time that an asteroid had been detected before impact and the second time fragments were recovered.