FIREBALL

Fireball near Pilot Point, Alaska

Map: Fireball near Pilot Point, Alaska

A fireball, a small asteroid burning up in the atmosphere, exploded about 45 mi (72 km) northwest of Pilot Point, Alaska on Wednesday, April 1, 2026 at 23:59 UTC, about 37 km (23 mi) up. U.S. government sensors measured its energy at about 79 tons of TNT, and it was traveling at 37.3 km/s (83,440 mph). Explosions this high up rarely cause damage on the ground.

Energy79 t TNT
Altitude37 km · 23 mi
Speed37.3 km/s
Location57.9°N 158.6°W
Time (UTC)Apr 1 23:59
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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?

Point Nemo. Old spacecraft are steered to crash near Point Nemo in the South Pacific, the spot in the ocean farthest from any land.

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

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