Fireball, 14 September 2016
On 14 September 2016 at 15:01 UTC, sensors detected a fireball above 3.5°S, 44.6°E, 54 km up. It released energy equal to about 0.24 kilotons of TNT.
The numbers
- Date and time (UTC)
- 14 September 2016, 15:01
- Location
- 3.5°S, 44.6°E
- Height at peak brightness
- 54 km
- Speed
- 18.3 km/s (65,880 km/h)
- Light energy radiated
- 7.6 × 10¹⁰ joules
- Estimated total energy
- 0.24 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 1.6 metres across and weighed around 6 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
Saw a bright fireball yourself? Report what you saw.