Fireball, 18 May 2024
On 18 May 2024 at 22:46 UTC, sensors detected a fireball above 41.0°N, 8.8°W, 74.3 km up. It released energy equal to about 0.13 kilotons of TNT.
The numbers
- Date and time (UTC)
- 18 May 2024, 22:46
- Location
- 41.0°N, 8.8°W
- Height at peak brightness
- 74.3 km
- Speed
- 40.4 km/s (145,440 km/h)
- Light energy radiated
- 3.79 × 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 75 cm across and weighed around 670 kg.
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
- North Portugal Iron, Portugal · 67 km away
- São Julião de Moreira Iron, IIAB, Portugal · 87 km away
- Chaves Howardite, Spain · 152 km away
Saw a bright fireball yourself? Report what you saw.