Fireball, 24 September 2002
On 24 September 2002 at 16:48 UTC, sensors detected a fireball above 57.9°N, 112.9°E. It released energy equal to about 2 kilotons of TNT.
The numbers
- Date and time (UTC)
- 24 September 2002, 16:48
- Location
- 57.9°N, 112.9°E
- Height at peak brightness
- Not released
- Speed
- Not released
- Light energy radiated
- 86 × 10¹⁰ joules
- Estimated total energy
- 2 kilotons of TNT
What does that mean?
That is a large 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 3 metres across and weighed around 42 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
- Bodaibo Iron, IVA, Russia · 77 km away
- Uakit Unclassified, Russia · 270 km away
- Nochtuisk Iron, Russia · 355 km away
Saw a bright fireball yourself? Report what you saw.