Fireball, 19 July 2015
On 19 July 2015 at 07:06 UTC, sensors detected a fireball above 20.6°N, 87.6°W, 22 km up. It released energy equal to about 0.085 kilotons of TNT.
The numbers
- Date and time (UTC)
- 19 July 2015, 07:06
- Location
- 20.6°N, 87.6°W
- Height at peak brightness
- 22 km
- Speed
- 17.8 km/s (64,080 km/h)
- Light energy radiated
- 2.38 × 10¹⁰ joules
- Estimated total energy
- 0.085 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 this speed, it was roughly 1.1 metres across and weighed around 2.2 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
- Rosario Iron, IAB-MG, Honduras · 677 km away
- Chinautla Iron, IVA-an, Guatemala · 745 km away
- Bonita Springs H5, United States · 868 km away
Saw a bright fireball yourself? Report what you saw.