Fireball, 26 February 2024
On 26 February 2024 at 11:21 UTC, sensors detected a fireball above 22.9°N, 57.1°E, 33.1 km up. It released energy equal to about 0.13 kilotons of TNT.
The numbers
- Date and time (UTC)
- 26 February 2024, 11:21
- Location
- 22.9°N, 57.1°E
- Height at peak brightness
- 33.1 km
- Speed
- 31.3 km/s (112,680 km/h)
- Light energy radiated
- 3.8 × 10¹⁰ joules
- Estimated total energy
- 0.13 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 89 cm across and weighed around 1.1 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
- Ramlat al Wahibah 043 H5, Oman · 148 km away
- Ramlat al Wahibah 044 H4-5, Oman · 150 km away
- Ramlat al Wahibah 041 L6, Oman · 160 km away
Saw a bright fireball yourself? Report what you saw.