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 4.1°N, 173.4°W on Saturday, January 31, 2026 at 18:07 UTC, about 32 km (20 mi) up. U.S. government sensors measured its energy at about 190 tons of TNT. Explosions this high up rarely cause damage on the ground.

Energy190 t TNT
Altitude32 km · 20 mi
Location4.1°N 173.4°W
Time (UTC)Jan 31 18:07
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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.

Did you know?

Meteor, meteorite. A meteoroid is the rock in space, a meteor is the streak of light, and a meteorite is any piece that reaches the ground.

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

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