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2024

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Title:	No evidence for interstellar fireballs in the CNEOS database
Authors:	HAJDUKOVA, Maria, STOBER, Gunter, BARGHINI, Dario, KOTEN, Pavel, VAUBAILLON, Jeremie, STERKEN, Veerle, DURISOVA, Silvia, JACKSON, Alan, DESCH, Steven
Image & caption:	Please click on image thumbnail to get more info: Image caption:: Fig.: Comparison of the CNEOS catalog (left) in the distribution of velocity components for all meteors (blue dots) and hyperbolic meteors (red crosses) with the CAMS database of all meteors (center) and those that mimic interstellar particles due to extreme deviations in at least one velocity component (right). The bolide observed over the Pacific Ocean near Papua New Guinea is marked with a solid turquoise circle (left panel).
Description:	The presented work is an analysis of bolides from the catalog of the Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS), registered by U.S. government sensors, aimed at identifying cases with a potential interstellar origin. One of the candidates is a bolide observed over the Pacific Ocean near Papua New Guinea, which was declared in 2022 by Harvard professor Loeb as the first interstellar meteor. A. Loeb also claimed that fragments of this meteoroid were found on the ocean floor, confirming its extrasolar origin. Our analysis of the meteoroid's flight physics and dynamics, utilizing independent methods, including statistics of all objects from the catalog and observation simulations, showed that the meteor did not exhibit interstellar characteristics and that fragments of such a meteoroid could not have survived atmospheric entry. We found that all nominally hyperbolic bolides exhibit significant deviations in one velocity component and that their radiant points can have a dispersion of up to 15°, which corresponds to potential deviations causing false hyperbolicity of the orbit.
Reference:	HAJDUKOVÁ, Mária, Jr.** - STOBER, G.** - BARGHINI, D.** - KOTEN, Pavel - VAUBAILLON, Jeremie - STERKEN, V. J. - ĎURIŠOVÁ, Silvia - JACKSON, A. - DESCH, S. No evidence for interstellar fireballs in the CNEOS database. In Astronomy and Astrophysics, 2024, vol. 691, article no. A8, p. 1-20. (2023: 5.4 - IF, Q1 - JCR, 1.896 - SJR, Q1 - SJR, karentované - CCC). (2024 - Current Contents, WOS, SCOPUS, NASA ADS). ISSN 0004-6361. Dostupné na: https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202449569 (Vega č. 2/0009/22)