Meteor Airburst near Chatham Islands

2026, October 4. Pacific Ocean, 330km NE of the Chatham Islands. Small Airburst. Time: 03:14:45UT. Coordinates: (41.8S;173.1W). Altitude: 26.9km. Velocity Components: vx =14.8; vy = 2.9; vz = 2.2. Velocity: 15.24 km/s. Zenith Angle: 81.70 degrees. Energy: e = 5.4e10; -e = 0.18 or 180,000 kg/TNT. This is the 24rd airburst recorded by NASA this year. Ratio 2025:2026 = 29:24. A marine animal disturbance alert for the Chatham Islands and the east coast of New Zealand should be noted for the region. 

Notes concerning the above event. Even though this was a low-energy event it did manage to embed itself into the lower atmosphere. The following data is for a meteor at ~74km. (High altitude (~74 km), high visual brightness, negligible lower-atmosphere sound. High-altitude ionization flash; transient thermal streak; negligible lower dust trail or shockwave. VLF / Electrophonic Signature: Minor VLF pulses. Limited temporal range. Environmental & Surface Effect: Weak instantaneous crackles/swishing heard only directly beneath high-altitude path.) The Chatham Island meteor is ~40km lower. Unfortunately, no one is out there in the ocean to witness any sound, so it's prudent to be cautious about issuing a MAD, better safe than sorry.