Fireball, 13 September 2025
On 13 September 2025 at 22:24 UTC, sensors detected a fireball above 38.1°S, 64.8°W, 25.1 km up. It released energy equal to about 0.48 kilotons of TNT.
The numbers
- Date and time (UTC)
- 13 September 2025, 22:24
- Location
- 38.1°S, 64.8°W
- Height at peak brightness
- 25.1 km
- Speed
- 17.8 km/s (64,080 km/h)
- Light energy radiated
- 16.7 × 10¹⁰ joules
- Estimated total energy
- 0.48 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 2 metres across and weighed around 13 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
- Nicolás Levalle L5, Argentina · 187 km away
- Villa Regina Iron, IIIAB, Argentina · 226 km away
- D'Orbigny Angrite, Argentina · 281 km away
Saw a bright fireball yourself? Report what you saw.