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 0.2°S, 129.6°W on Friday, September 11, 2026 at 10:18 UTC, about 70 km (43 mi) up. U.S. government sensors measured its energy at about 200 tons of TNT. Explosions this high up rarely cause damage on the ground.

Energy200 t TNT
Altitude70 km · 43 mi
Location0.2°S 129.6°W
Time (UTC)Sep 11 10:18
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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?

The far side. The Moon always shows Earth the same face. Its far side was first photographed in 1959, by the Soviet Luna 3 probe.

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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