# Utah Meteor - How Energetic? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 19, 2009, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/utah-meteor-how-energetic/518172 "2009-11-19T18:13:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Alka\_Seltzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c89c15/32.png) [@Alka\_Seltzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alka_Seltzer)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2009, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/utah-meteor-how-energetic/518172/1 "2009-11-19T18:13:52Z")
There are some short videos [here](http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8367760.stm) of the recent utah meteor. My question is, roughly how much energy was have been released by this collision? I know there are a few kiloton class impacts every year, was this one of them? ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2009, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/utah-meteor-how-energetic/518172/2 "2009-11-19T18:56:09Z")
> [@](#): > > Although the fireball appeared during the [Leonid meteor shower](http://spaceweather.com/meteors/gallery_17nov09_page2.htm?PHPSESSID=5c4ipjvk01nnrcnjhe1lchjjd3), it was not a Leonid. Infrasound recordings of the blast suggest a small asteroid hitting Earth’s atmosphere and exploding with an energy of 0.5 to 1 kiloton of TNT. Experts liken the event to the [Park Forest fireball](http://www.astronomy.com/asy/default.aspx?c=a&id=2187) of 2003, which scattered dozens of meteorites across a suburb of Chicago. Meteorites are likely from this fireball as well. Stay tuned for developing information about the possible fall zone. Source: [http://spaceweather.com/](http://spaceweather.com/) ---
**Author:** ![Bumbazine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bumbazine/32/362_2.png) [@Bumbazine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bumbazine)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2009, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/utah-meteor-how-energetic/518172/3 "2009-11-19T19:43:32Z")
Damn! Missed! Did anything make it to the ground? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2009, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/utah-meteor-how-energetic/518172/4 "2009-11-19T22:04:02Z")
From what I’ve heard, it’s believed to have hit the ground not far from here, but in a relatively inaccessible area where it’s not likely to be found. ---
**Author:** ![pepperlandgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@pepperlandgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pepperlandgirl)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2009, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/utah-meteor-how-energetic/518172/5 "2009-11-21T00:28:05Z")
I don’t have your answer, but thanks for posting! I was up when that happened and, quite frankly, it scared the hell out of me. But I couldn’t see the meteor, just the whole city lighting up.