Fireball, 27 July 2012
On 27 July 2012 at 04:19 UTC, sensors detected a fireball above 63.1°N, 172.3°E, 27.2 km up. It released energy equal to about 0.11 kilotons of TNT.
The numbers
- Date and time (UTC)
- 27 July 2012, 04:19
- Location
- 63.1°N, 172.3°E
- Height at peak brightness
- 27.2 km
- Speed
- Not released
- Light energy radiated
- 3.22 × 10¹⁰ joules
- Estimated total energy
- 0.11 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 1.1 metres across and weighed around 2.3 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
- Khatyrka CV3, Russia · 122 km away
- Kifkakhsyagan Iron, IIIAB, Russia · 146 km away
- Egvekinot Iron, IAB-sLM, Russia · 496 km away
Saw a bright fireball yourself? Report what you saw.