Fireball, 13 November 2015
On 13 November 2015 at 14:59 UTC, sensors detected a fireball above 16.0°N, 124.3°E, 28 km up. It released energy equal to about 0.26 kilotons of TNT.
The numbers
- Date and time (UTC)
- 13 November 2015, 14:59
- Location
- 16.0°N, 124.3°E
- Height at peak brightness
- 28 km
- Speed
- Not released
- Light energy radiated
- 8.36 × 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
- Bondoc Mesosiderite-B4, Philippines · 340 km away
- Pampanga L5, Philippines · 399 km away
- Paitan H6, Philippines · 453 km away
Saw a bright fireball yourself? Report what you saw.