Fireball, 15 December 2017
On 15 December 2017 at 13:14 UTC, sensors detected a fireball above 60.2°N, 170.0°E, 20 km up. It released energy equal to about 7.9 kilotons of TNT.
The numbers
- Date and time (UTC)
- 15 December 2017, 13:14
- Location
- 60.2°N, 170.0°E
- Height at peak brightness
- 20 km
- Speed
- 31.4 km/s (113,040 km/h)
- Light energy radiated
- 400 × 10¹⁰ joules
- Estimated total energy
- 7.9 kilotons of TNT
What does that mean?
That is a large 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 3.5 metres across and weighed around 67 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
- Khatyrka CV3, Russia · 363 km away
- Kifkakhsyagan Iron, IIIAB, Russia · 487 km away
- Anyujskij Iron, IIAB, Russia · 798 km away
Saw a bright fireball yourself? Report what you saw.