Exclusive Seismoacoustic Detection and Characterization of an Unseen and Unheard Fireball Over the North Atlantic

Small meteoroids that enter Earth's atmosphere often go unnoticed because their detection and characterization rely on human observations, introducing observational biases in space and time. Acoustic shockwaves from meteoroid ablation convert to infrasound and seismic energy, enabling fireball...

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Published in:Geophysical Research Letters
Main Authors: Hicks S. P., Matos S. B., Pimentel A., Belli Giacomo, Gheri D., Tsekhmistrenko M., Hosseini K., Geissler W. H., Silva R., Wallenstein N., Ferreira A. M. G.
Other Authors: Hicks, S. P., Matos, S. B., Pimentel, A., Belli, Giacomo, Gheri, D., Tsekhmistrenko, M., Hosseini, K., Geissler, W. H., Silva, R., Wallenstein, N., Ferreira, A. M. G.
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: 2023
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/11568/1215793
https://doi.org/10.1029/2023GL105773
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spelling ftunivpisairis:oai:arpi.unipi.it:11568/1215793 2024-04-21T08:08:07+00:00 Exclusive Seismoacoustic Detection and Characterization of an Unseen and Unheard Fireball Over the North Atlantic Hicks S. P. Matos S. B. Pimentel A. Belli Giacomo Gheri D. Tsekhmistrenko M. Hosseini K. Geissler W. H. Silva R. Wallenstein N. Ferreira A. M. G. Hicks, S. P. Matos, S. B. Pimentel, A. Belli, Giacomo Gheri, D. Tsekhmistrenko, M. Hosseini, K. Geissler, W. H. Silva, R. Wallenstein, N. Ferreira, A. M. G. 2023 https://hdl.handle.net/11568/1215793 https://doi.org/10.1029/2023GL105773 eng eng info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/wos/WOS:001101803200001 volume:50 issue:22 journal:GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS https://hdl.handle.net/11568/1215793 doi:10.1029/2023GL105773 info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/scopus/2-s2.0-85176807170 meteoroid fireball infrasound seismoacoustic geostationary lightning mapper near-Earth object info:eu-repo/semantics/article 2023 ftunivpisairis https://doi.org/10.1029/2023GL105773 2024-03-28T01:23:04Z Small meteoroids that enter Earth's atmosphere often go unnoticed because their detection and characterization rely on human observations, introducing observational biases in space and time. Acoustic shockwaves from meteoroid ablation convert to infrasound and seismic energy, enabling fireball detection using seismoacoustic methods. We analyzed an unreported fireball in 2022 near the Azores, recorded by 26 seismometers and two infrasound arrays. Through polarization analyses, array methods, and 3-D ray-tracing, we determined that the terminal blast occurred at 40 km altitude, similar to 60 km NE of Sao Miguel Island. This location matches an unidentified flash captured by a lightning detector aboard the GOES-16 satellite. The estimated kinetic energy is similar to 10-3 kT TNT equivalent, suggesting a 10-1 m object diameter, thousands of which enter the atmosphere annually. Our results demonstrate how geophysical methods, in tandem with satellite data, can significantly improve the observational completeness of meteoroids, advancing our understanding of their sources and entry processes.Every year, hundreds to thousands of small near-Earth objects, known as meteoroids, enter Earth's atmosphere. Their hypersonic entry speed and break-up can generate flashes known as fireballs and associated shockwaves that can reach the ground. However, it is only the largest objects breaking up above populated areas that we typically see or hear, or that are captured by dedicated camera systems. Many of the smaller meteoroids go unnoticed. This observational bias limits our understanding of these objects and how they enter Earth's atmosphere. Here, we report on a fireball that broke up over the Northern Atlantic Ocean in June 2022 and was recorded on a network of seismometers that record sensitive ground motion and infrasound sensors that "hear" low-frequency sound waves. Our analyses of these data show a small (40 cm diameter) meteoroid exploded at around 40 km altitude and 60 km northeast of Sao Miguel Island. Crucially, a ... Article in Journal/Newspaper North Atlantic ARPI - Archivio della Ricerca dell'Università di Pisa Geophysical Research Letters 50 22
institution Open Polar
collection ARPI - Archivio della Ricerca dell'Università di Pisa
op_collection_id ftunivpisairis
language English
topic meteoroid
fireball
infrasound
seismoacoustic
geostationary lightning mapper
near-Earth object
spellingShingle meteoroid
fireball
infrasound
seismoacoustic
geostationary lightning mapper
near-Earth object
Hicks S. P.
Matos S. B.
Pimentel A.
Belli Giacomo
Gheri D.
Tsekhmistrenko M.
Hosseini K.
Geissler W. H.
Silva R.
Wallenstein N.
Ferreira A. M. G.
Exclusive Seismoacoustic Detection and Characterization of an Unseen and Unheard Fireball Over the North Atlantic
topic_facet meteoroid
fireball
infrasound
seismoacoustic
geostationary lightning mapper
near-Earth object
description Small meteoroids that enter Earth's atmosphere often go unnoticed because their detection and characterization rely on human observations, introducing observational biases in space and time. Acoustic shockwaves from meteoroid ablation convert to infrasound and seismic energy, enabling fireball detection using seismoacoustic methods. We analyzed an unreported fireball in 2022 near the Azores, recorded by 26 seismometers and two infrasound arrays. Through polarization analyses, array methods, and 3-D ray-tracing, we determined that the terminal blast occurred at 40 km altitude, similar to 60 km NE of Sao Miguel Island. This location matches an unidentified flash captured by a lightning detector aboard the GOES-16 satellite. The estimated kinetic energy is similar to 10-3 kT TNT equivalent, suggesting a 10-1 m object diameter, thousands of which enter the atmosphere annually. Our results demonstrate how geophysical methods, in tandem with satellite data, can significantly improve the observational completeness of meteoroids, advancing our understanding of their sources and entry processes.Every year, hundreds to thousands of small near-Earth objects, known as meteoroids, enter Earth's atmosphere. Their hypersonic entry speed and break-up can generate flashes known as fireballs and associated shockwaves that can reach the ground. However, it is only the largest objects breaking up above populated areas that we typically see or hear, or that are captured by dedicated camera systems. Many of the smaller meteoroids go unnoticed. This observational bias limits our understanding of these objects and how they enter Earth's atmosphere. Here, we report on a fireball that broke up over the Northern Atlantic Ocean in June 2022 and was recorded on a network of seismometers that record sensitive ground motion and infrasound sensors that "hear" low-frequency sound waves. Our analyses of these data show a small (40 cm diameter) meteoroid exploded at around 40 km altitude and 60 km northeast of Sao Miguel Island. Crucially, a ...
author2 Hicks, S. P.
Matos, S. B.
Pimentel, A.
Belli, Giacomo
Gheri, D.
Tsekhmistrenko, M.
Hosseini, K.
Geissler, W. H.
Silva, R.
Wallenstein, N.
Ferreira, A. M. G.
format Article in Journal/Newspaper
author Hicks S. P.
Matos S. B.
Pimentel A.
Belli Giacomo
Gheri D.
Tsekhmistrenko M.
Hosseini K.
Geissler W. H.
Silva R.
Wallenstein N.
Ferreira A. M. G.
author_facet Hicks S. P.
Matos S. B.
Pimentel A.
Belli Giacomo
Gheri D.
Tsekhmistrenko M.
Hosseini K.
Geissler W. H.
Silva R.
Wallenstein N.
Ferreira A. M. G.
author_sort Hicks S. P.
title Exclusive Seismoacoustic Detection and Characterization of an Unseen and Unheard Fireball Over the North Atlantic
title_short Exclusive Seismoacoustic Detection and Characterization of an Unseen and Unheard Fireball Over the North Atlantic
title_full Exclusive Seismoacoustic Detection and Characterization of an Unseen and Unheard Fireball Over the North Atlantic
title_fullStr Exclusive Seismoacoustic Detection and Characterization of an Unseen and Unheard Fireball Over the North Atlantic
title_full_unstemmed Exclusive Seismoacoustic Detection and Characterization of an Unseen and Unheard Fireball Over the North Atlantic
title_sort exclusive seismoacoustic detection and characterization of an unseen and unheard fireball over the north atlantic
publishDate 2023
url https://hdl.handle.net/11568/1215793
https://doi.org/10.1029/2023GL105773
genre North Atlantic
genre_facet North Atlantic
op_relation info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/wos/WOS:001101803200001
volume:50
issue:22
journal:GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS
https://hdl.handle.net/11568/1215793
doi:10.1029/2023GL105773
info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/scopus/2-s2.0-85176807170
op_doi https://doi.org/10.1029/2023GL105773
container_title Geophysical Research Letters
container_volume 50
container_issue 22
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