A bright flash erupted over the English Channel when a small asteroid entered Earth and exploded in a striking 'airburst' early Monday morning.

Footage shows the asteroid Sar2667 whizzing across the sky over Hastings in East Sussex at around 3 am local time on February 13.

The celestial body streaked through the dark, glowing brighter until it blew up in a blinding flare.

The European Space Agency (ESA) said the one-metre meteoroid or space rock will safely impact the Earth's atmosphere over northern France between 3:50-4:03 CET.

The agency said: 'This is just the seventh time an asteroid impact has ever been predicted before it happens - a sign of the rapid advancements in global asteroid detection capabilities!'

The celestial body was reported to have exploded in a spectacular 'airburst' while burning up.