Fireball, 6 September 2024
On 6 September 2024 at 12:36 UTC, sensors detected a fireball above 12.9°S, 117.7°E, 27 km up. It released energy equal to about 0.076 kilotons of TNT.
The numbers
- Date and time (UTC)
- 6 September 2024, 12:36
- Location
- 12.9°S, 117.7°E
- Height at peak brightness
- 27 km
- Speed
- 22.6 km/s (81,360 km/h)
- Light energy radiated
- 2.1 × 10¹⁰ joules
- Estimated total energy
- 0.076 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 93 cm across and weighed around 1.2 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
- Lovina Iron, ungrouped, Indonesia · 545 km away
- Kangean H5 · 699 km away
- Tambakwatu L6, Indonesia · 787 km away
Saw a bright fireball yourself? Report what you saw.