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 13.4°N, 170.2°W on Wednesday, April 8, 2026 at 01:58 UTC, about 62 km (39 mi) up. U.S. government sensors measured its energy at about 100 tons of TNT, and it was traveling at 17.8 km/s (39,819 mph). Explosions this high up rarely cause damage on the ground.

Energy100 t TNT
Altitude62 km · 39 mi
Speed17.8 km/s
Location13.4°N 170.2°W
Time (UTC)Apr 8 01:58
See it on the live 3D globe →Watch live on YouTube🔔 Get alerts near you

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?

The end of the ISS. NASA plans to retire the ISS around 2030 and guide it into a controlled plunge over a remote part of the Pacific Ocean.

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

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

More from around the world