Fireball, 6 January 2018
On 6 January 2018 at 21:24 UTC, sensors detected a fireball above 55.8°N, 52.5°E, 26 km up. It released energy equal to about 0.086 kilotons of TNT.
The numbers
- Date and time (UTC)
- 6 January 2018, 21:24
- Location
- 55.8°N, 52.5°E
- Height at peak brightness
- 26 km
- Speed
- 21 km/s (75,600 km/h)
- Light energy radiated
- 2.4 × 10¹⁰ joules
- Estimated total energy
- 0.086 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 metres across and weighed around 1.6 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
- Kainsaz CO3.2, Russia · 62 km away
- Muslyumovo H4, Russia · 71 km away
- Kissij H5, Russia · 146 km away
Saw a bright fireball yourself? Report what you saw.