Fireball, 11 October 2009
On 11 October 2009 at 12:49 UTC, sensors detected a fireball above 78.3°S, 70.2°E, 27.8 km up. It released energy equal to about 0.26 kilotons of TNT.
The numbers
- Date and time (UTC)
- 11 October 2009, 12:49
- Location
- 78.3°S, 70.2°E
- Height at peak brightness
- 27.8 km
- Speed
- Not released
- Light energy radiated
- 8.53 × 10¹⁰ joules
- Estimated total energy
- 0.26 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 1.5 metres across and weighed around 5.4 tonnes.
It penetrated deep into the atmosphere, which makes it more likely that fragments reached the ground as meteorites. About 70% of Earth is ocean, so most fireballs like this fall into the sea.
Known meteorites nearest this point
- Grove Mountains 020039 L5, Antarctica · 586 km away
- Grove Mountains 020038 L4, Antarctica · 588 km away
- Grove Mountains 020040 L5, Antarctica · 589 km away
Saw a bright fireball yourself? Report what you saw.