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 45.6°S, 109.8°W on Sunday, May 10, 2026 at 16:57 UTC, about 33 km (20 mi) up. U.S. government sensors measured its energy at about 190 tons of TNT, and it was traveling at 22.9 km/s (51,227 mph). Explosions this high up rarely cause damage on the ground.

Energy190 t TNT
Altitude33 km · 20 mi
Speed22.9 km/s
Location45.6°S 109.8°W
Time (UTC)May 10 16:57
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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?

NEO Surveyor. NASA’s NEO Surveyor, a space telescope built to hunt near-Earth asteroids in infrared light, is planned to launch in 2027.

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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