CNEOS 2014-01-08
A bright meteor (bolide) that entered Earth's atmosphere near Papua New Guinea on 8 January 2014, recorded in NASA CNEOS's fireball database. From the reported high velocity it was proposed in 2019 to have originated outside the Solar System, which would make it a candidate interstellar meteor. The claim is disputed: the underlying velocity data come from US Government sensors whose uncertainties are not public, and the interstellar interpretation is not accepted by the wider community. It is not a confirmed interstellar object.
Status & uncertainty
DEBATED. The proposed interstellar origin rests on a velocity derived from US Government sensors whose error bars are not published; independent researchers have questioned whether the data support a hyperbolic, interstellar trajectory at all. A 2023 sea-floor expedition recovered spherules claimed to be from the object, but that identification is also contested. This record is a candidate/debated claim, not a confirmed interstellar object.
Physical & orbital character
How it was identified
Knowledge connections
- Associated withExcess Hyperbolic Velocity
- Associated withCNEOS
- Associated withEarth
Sources
The primary and reference sources this topic draws on.
- NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration
Mission data, planetary science, space telescopes, and public-domain imagery.
Most NASA-produced imagery is in the public domain; individual items are checked for usage terms before publication.
- NASA JPLJet Propulsion Laboratory / Solar System Dynamics
Orbital data, ephemerides, and small-body parameters for planets, asteroids, and comets.
- NASA ADSNASA Astrophysics Data System
Bibliographic index of peer-reviewed astronomy and astrophysics literature.