Fireball, 30 December 2012
On 30 December 2012 at 07:25 UTC, sensors detected a fireball above 17.3°N, 83.6°W. It released energy equal to about 0.59 kilotons of TNT.
The numbers
- Date and time (UTC)
- 30 December 2012, 07:25
- Location
- 17.3°N, 83.6°W
- Height at peak brightness
- Not released
- Speed
- Not released
- Light energy radiated
- 21.1 × 10¹⁰ joules
- Estimated total energy
- 0.59 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 2 metres across and weighed around 12 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
- Rosario Iron, IAB-MG, Honduras · 621 km away
- Lucky Hill Iron, IIIAB, Jamaica · 636 km away
- Cuba Iron, IAB?, Cuba · 644 km away
Saw a bright fireball yourself? Report what you saw.