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 24.1°S, 92.4°W on Tuesday, December 16, 2025 at 20:58 UTC, about 25 km (16 mi) up. U.S. government sensors measured its energy at about 290 tons of TNT, and it was traveling at 19.0 km/s (42,503 mph). Explosions this high up rarely cause damage on the ground.

Energy290 t TNT
Altitude25 km · 16 mi
Speed19.0 km/s
Location24.1°S 92.4°W
Time (UTC)Dec 16 20:58
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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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