Asteroid Impact Energy Calculator
Calculate the kinetic energy of a meteor or asteroid impact in megatons of TNT.
Enter size, density, and impact speed; compare results to Tunguska and Chicxulub.
How Meteor Impact Energy Is Calculated
When a meteor strikes Earth, it converts its kinetic energy into an explosion of heat, pressure, and debris. The energy released follows classical kinetic energy physics, scaled to astronomical numbers.
Impact Energy Formula:
E = 0.5 × m × v²
Where:
- E = kinetic energy in Joules
- m = mass of the meteor in kg
- v = impact velocity in m/s
Typical Meteor Entry Speeds: 11–72 km/s (Earth’s escape velocity sets the minimum; Earth’s orbital speed adds to maximum). Most average around 17–20 km/s.
Worked Example: The Chelyabinsk meteor (2013): estimated mass ~12,000 tonnes = 12,000,000 kg, velocity ~19 km/s = 19,000 m/s
- E = 0.5 × 12,000,000 × (19,000)²
- E = 0.5 × 12,000,000 × 361,000,000
- E = 2.166 × 10¹⁵ Joules
- Equivalent to ~500 kilotons of TNT (about 30× the Hiroshima bomb)
Energy Scale Reference:
- 1 ton TNT = 4.184 × 10⁹ J
- Hiroshima bomb ≈ 15 kilotons = 6.3 × 10¹³ J
- Chelyabinsk (2013) ≈ 500 kilotons
- Tunguska (1908) ≈ 10–15 megatons
- Chicxulub (dinosaur extinction) ≈ 100 million megatons
Key Insight: Doubling the velocity quadruples the energy, making speed far more destructive than mass.