Fireball, 2 March 1999
On 2 March 1999 at 22:23 UTC, sensors detected a fireball above 18.9°N, 50.5°E. It released energy equal to about 0.19 kilotons of TNT.
The numbers
- Date and time (UTC)
- 2 March 1999, 22:23
- Location
- 18.9°N, 50.5°E
- Height at peak brightness
- Not released
- Speed
- Not released
- Light energy radiated
- 5.9 × 10¹⁰ joules
- Estimated total energy
- 0.19 kilotons of TNT
What does that mean?
That is a small burst by fireball standards: the Chelyabinsk fireball of 2013 released about 440 kilotons. If the object was stony rock entering at a typical 20 km/s, it was roughly 1.4 metres across and weighed around 4 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.
Known meteorites nearest this point
- Umm Tina L6, Saudi Arabia · 63 km away
- Bir Hadi H5, Saudi Arabia · 80 km away
- Suwahib ('Ain Sala) H6, Saudi Arabia · 130 km away
Saw a bright fireball yourself? Report what you saw.