FIREBALL

Fireball over open water

Map: Fireball over open water

A fireball, a small asteroid burning up in the atmosphere, exploded over open water at 5.7°N, 135.2°W on Monday, October 20, 2025 at 13:31 UTC, about 41 km (25 mi) up. U.S. government sensors measured its energy at about 73 tons of TNT, and it was traveling at 26.7 km/s (59,728 mph). Explosions this high up rarely cause damage on the ground.

Energy73 t TNT
Altitude41 km · 25 mi
Speed26.7 km/s
Location5.7°N 135.2°W
Time (UTC)Oct 20 13:31
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How big was it?

Most fireballs come from rocks a meter or a few meters across. The 2013 Chelyabinsk fireball over Russia, about 440 kilotons, was the largest in a century; it shattered windows across the city. Most land over the ocean, unseen.

Data: NASA JPL CNEOS fireball reports, from U.S. government sensors.

More: every space weather and near-Earth page · all events

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