Astrology

Scientists trace the Cape Cod fireball to an asteroid disturbed by Jupiter

Scientists have traced the bright meteor that fell over Cape Cod Bay to a small asteroid whose path was disturbed by Jupiter, Space.com reports. The object followed a comet-like orbit toward Earth before breaking apart over coastal Massachusetts on May 30, 2026.

The daytime fireball appeared at 1:06 p.m. local time, and members of the public reported a sonic boom across the northeastern United States, according to Space.com. Researchers combined radar readings, infrasound measurements and camera footage to reconstruct the object's fall and its orbit around the sun.

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Radar captured the fireball's breakup#

Space physicist Juha Vierinen of the Arctic University of Norway in Tromsø led the team of European and U.S. scientists, Space.com reports. Their measurements came from a meteor-observing radar network, weather radar, infrasound stations, dash cams and security cameras.

The meteor radar detected a head echo, a radar signal from the cloud of plasma generated as the incoming rock heated the atmosphere and its own surface, according to Space.com. Four weather radars then recorded debris from the breakup as chunks fell into Cape Cod Bay as meteorites.

Ryan Volz, a radio scientist at Haystack Observatory and a member of the research team, told Space.com that the observation was fortunate. He said a comparable fireball would need to enter the atmosphere within about 62 miles of a similar meteor radar system for its head echoes to be detected.

The rock traveled from Jupiter's region#

The Boston Globe reports that the object was classified as a superbolide, an exceptionally bright meteor. Before entering the atmosphere, it was roughly 12,000 pounds and about 5 feet wide. The research findings appeared in The Astronomical Journal, according to the Globe.

By tracing its trajectory backward, researchers placed the farthest point of its orbit at roughly four times Earth's distance from the sun, in the region of Jupiter's orbit, the Globe reports. The paper said the rock likely came from the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter or from a comet near Jupiter.

The rock entered the atmosphere at nearly 58,000 miles per hour, according to the Globe. CAI reports that scientists are analyzing the fireball's data to learn about the atmosphere and better forecast potential asteroid threats to people.

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