Fireball, 20 November 2018
On 20 November 2018 at 17:30 UTC, sensors detected a fireball above 25.3°N, 6.7°W, 27.4 km up. It released energy equal to about 1.1 kilotons of TNT.
The numbers
- Date and time (UTC)
- 20 November 2018, 17:30
- Location
- 25.3°N, 6.7°W
- Height at peak brightness
- 27.4 km
- Speed
- 17.4 km/s (62,640 km/h)
- Light energy radiated
- 42.2 × 10¹⁰ joules
- Estimated total energy
- 1.1 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 2.7 metres across and weighed around 30 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
- Chergach H5, Mali · 247 km away
- Northwest Africa 512 L4, Mali · 256 km away
- Northwest Africa 513 L4/5, Mali · 256 km away
Saw a bright fireball yourself? Report what you saw.