Fireball, 26 June 2022
On 26 June 2022 at 20:16 UTC, sensors detected a fireball above 69.7°S, 164.7°E, 19 km up. It released energy equal to about 0.2 kilotons of TNT.
The numbers
- Date and time (UTC)
- 26 June 2022, 20:16
- Location
- 69.7°S, 164.7°E
- Height at peak brightness
- 19 km
- Speed
- 20.1 km/s (72,360 km/h)
- Light energy radiated
- 6.09 × 10¹⁰ joules
- Estimated total energy
- 0.2 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 1.4 metres across and weighed around 4.1 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
- Miller Butte 09001 H5, Antarctica · 289 km away
- Mount Walton 03001 L6, Antarctica · 344 km away
- Mount Walton 01001 H4/5, Antarctica · 344 km away
Saw a bright fireball yourself? Report what you saw.