Fireball, 29 November 2024
On 29 November 2024 at 17:57 UTC, sensors detected a fireball above 79.4°S, 74.6°E, 62 km up. It released energy equal to about 0.19 kilotons of TNT.
The numbers
- Date and time (UTC)
- 29 November 2024, 17:57
- Location
- 79.4°S, 74.6°E
- Height at peak brightness
- 62 km
- Speed
- Not released
- Light energy radiated
- 5.8 × 10¹⁰ joules
- Estimated total energy
- 0.19 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 a typical 20 km/s, it was roughly 1.4 metres across and weighed around 4 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
- Grove Mountains 020039 L5, Antarctica · 694 km away
- Grove Mountains 020038 L4, Antarctica · 696 km away
- Grove Mountains 020040 L5, Antarctica · 697 km away
Saw a bright fireball yourself? Report what you saw.