Bright fireball over Siberia, Dec. 6, 2016 | International Meteor Organization

siberian-fireball — Screenshots extracted from two videos of the fireball that was observed over South-Western Siberia on December 6th, 2016.

A space rock about 10-15 m diameter entered the atmosphere above South-Western Siberia, on December 6, 2016, around 18h 35mn (local time, equivalent to 11h 35 mn UT). The associated fireball was widely observed, especially in Kakhassia and South of Krasnoyarsk republics, where people reporting it said the event turned up the night sky as if it was the day during 3 to 4 seconds, despite the layer of fog and clouds.

Below is a compilation of the some videos of the event (be aware that last sequence of the video is not the Dec 6, 2016 fireball, but the MS-04 Soyuz reentry after launch failure, which occured on Dec 1, 2016)

Witnesses also reported the meteor sighting was followed, tens of seconds later, by a loud sonic boom which triggered car alarms in the town of Sayanogorsk, from where the fireball seems to have been the most impressive, and where most video footage (recorded by video surveillance or embarked camera) are issued. These recordings show the impressive sky enlightment and the fast moving meteor emitting light through the layer of fog that covered the region at that time.

Screenshots sequence extracted from a video of the fireball recorded from Sayanogorsk, showing sky enlightenment and the fireball itself. — Screenshots sequence extracted from a video of the fireball recorded from Sayanogorsk, showing sky enlightnment and the fireball itself.

Seen the importance of the event, some meteorites may have survived the atmospheric entry: video records and witness reports may help defining the orbit to try to locate as precisely as possible the theoritical landing area. If you witnessed the fireball, or recorded it, do not hesitate to share your observation or recordings on the Fireball Report Form.