Airburst above Gulf of Alaska, NE Pacific

2026, March 23. Gulf of Alaska, NE Pacific, Airburst. Coordinates: (54.6N, 144.1W). Time: 19:23UT. Altitude: 35 km. Velocity: 11.48 km/s. Entry angle of approximately 54.1°. Energy: e = 5.1e10. -e = 0.17 or 170,000 kg/TNT. This is the sixth airburst of the year calculated by NASA. Note: A velocity of 11.48 km/s is particularly interesting because it is very close to the Earth's escape velocity (~11.19 km/s). This indicates a "slow" entry, which is characteristic of: Asteroidal origin: Objects coming from the inner solar system often have lower entry speeds. Meteorite potential: Because the velocity is low, the object experiences less intense heating and atmospheric pressure, making it much more likely that fragments survived to reach the ground or ocean as meteorites. A slow, deep-penetrating bolide at 11.48 km/s would create a sustained sonic boom (shockwave) that travels differently through the atmosphere and into the ocean than a high-velocity "disintegrator." With Europe and the USA having sustained rockfalls, it seems an undetected NEO has broken apart, or preliminary debris for an upcoming larger event. 

Marine Animal Disturbance Alert: A watch for cetacean strandings should be noted for Alaska, the surrounding Aleutian Islands and British Columbia. 

Two meteor airbursts one major. Update: Asteroids flying past Earth 20240619

2024, June 18. North Pacific Ocean. Major Airburst. Time: 13:51. Coordinates: (44.3, 173). Largest Airburst this year so far. e = 49.1, -e = 1.2 or 1,200,000 kg/TNT. Altitude: 44.3 km. Velocity: 35.4 km/s. Because of its energy a marine animal disturbance watch should be taken for the next month. This includes birds, especially migratory birds that could show navigational distress (concussion-type symptoms) many thousands of kilometres from the airburst event. Locations include Japan, Aleutian Islands, Kamchatka Peninsula, Rat Islands, Near Islands and Andreanof Islands. 

2024, June 18. North Atlantic Ocean. Airburst. Time: 21:01. Coordinates: (32.2, -31.8). 780 km S.W of Azores. e= 2.2, -e = 0.079 or 79,000 kg/TNT. Altitude: 28.7 km. Velocity: 16.2 km/s. Even though this is a small airburst a watch for whale strandings in the Azores should be taken. 

Information obtained from Google Maps and Fireballs (nasa.gov)

Note: Asteroids are flying by Earth. One large group travelling past today. It will be interesting after yesterday's airbursts whether anything else will come in over the next week.

Asteroid alert! Several plane-sized objects hurtling towards Earth this week - Science News (wionews.com)