Fireball, 1 June 2013
On 1 June 2013 at 22:49 UTC, sensors detected a fireball above 65.6°S, 138.4°E, 28.9 km up. It released energy equal to about 0.12 kilotons of TNT.
The numbers
- Date and time (UTC)
- 1 June 2013, 22:49
- Location
- 65.6°S, 138.4°E
- Height at peak brightness
- 28.9 km
- Speed
- Not released
- Light energy radiated
- 3.46 × 10¹⁰ joules
- Estimated total energy
- 0.12 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 1.2 metres across and weighed around 2.5 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
- Adelie Land L5, Antarctica · 250 km away
Saw a bright fireball yourself? Report what you saw.