Fireball, 1 February 1994
On 1 February 1994 at 22:38 UTC, sensors detected a fireball above 2.7°N, 164.1°E. It released energy equal to about 30 kilotons of TNT.
The numbers
- Date and time (UTC)
- 1 February 1994, 22:38
- Location
- 2.7°N, 164.1°E
- Height at peak brightness
- Not released
- Speed
- Not released
- Light energy radiated
- 1820 × 10¹⁰ joules
- Estimated total energy
- 30 kilotons of TNT
What does that mean?
That is about 2 times the energy of the Hiroshima bomb (about 15 kilotons), released harmlessly high in the atmosphere. If the object was stony rock entering at a typical 20 km/s, it was roughly 7.4 metres across and weighed around 630 tonnes.
Most objects of this kind break up and burn away high in the atmosphere, but larger ones can drop small meteorites. About 70% of Earth is ocean, so most fireballs like this fall into the sea.
Saw a bright fireball yourself? Report what you saw.