FIREBALL

Fireball near Mar del Plata, Argentina

Map: Fireball near Mar del Plata, Argentina

A fireball, a small asteroid burning up in the atmosphere, exploded about 498 km (310 mi) southeast of Mar del Plata, Argentina on Wednesday, April 1, 2026 at 02:13 UTC, about 90 km (56 mi) up. U.S. government sensors measured its energy at about 86 tons of TNT, and it was traveling at 69.2 km/s (154,800 mph). Explosions this high up rarely cause damage on the ground.

Energy86 t TNT
Altitude90 km · 56 mi
Speed69.2 km/s
Location41.9°S 54.7°W
Time (UTC)Apr 1 02:13
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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?

Space junk. More than 25,000 pieces of debris larger than a softball are tracked in orbit, and the ISS sometimes moves to dodge them.

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

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