About MeteorHound

MeteorHound aggregates fireball data from three independent sources — NASA CNEOS satellite sensors, the Global Meteor Network camera array, and American Meteor Society witness reports — then applies a meteorite-recovery scoring model to rank each event by the likelihood that recoverable material reached the ground.

How Scoring Works

Each fireball event starts with a base score of 40 out of 100. Nine recovery signals add or subtract points. The final score determines the tier:

Possible ≥ 70Unlikely ≥ 45Ignore < 45

Terminal Height

Up to +25

How low the fireball descended before burning out. Below 25 km is a strong indicator that material survived to the ground.

Entry Velocity

Up to +12

Slower meteoroids lose less mass to ablation. Under 15 km/s is ideal for meteorite survival.

Sonic Boom

+10

An audible sonic boom implies a large, fast-moving body — one of the strongest indicators of a ground-reaching mass.

Fragmentation

Visible breakup during descent suggests pieces survived to lower altitudes and may have reached the surface.

Duration

Up to +5

A longer visible trajectory means a larger, slower-burning object that is more likely to produce recoverable fragments.

Multi-Source Confirmation

Up to +10

Detection by multiple independent systems (satellite, camera network, witness reports) increases confidence in the event.

Witness Reports

Up to +8

A high number of independent witness reports increases confidence in the event's characteristics and location.

Terrain

+5 to −20

Open terrain like deserts and fields makes physical search and recovery feasible. Dense cities (50k+ population) and water force IGNORE. Forest and mountain are neutral.

Ocean in Search Area

Hard rule

If more than 40% of the search radius is over ocean, the event is IGNORE. 25–40% ocean downgrades Possible to Unlikely.

Freshness

+3 to −3

Recent events have better recovery prospects. Weathering, vegetation growth, and displacement reduce chances over time.

Data Sources

NASA CNEOS — Satellite Confirmed

The Center for Near Earth Object Studies detects bolides via US Government satellite sensors. These are the highest-confidence events with precise energy and altitude measurements.

Global Meteor Network — Camera Confirmed

A worldwide network of automated video cameras that triangulates meteor trajectories with high precision. Provides entry velocity, terminal height, and orbit data.

American Meteor Society — Live Reports

Crowd-sourced witness reports from across North America. Provides sound observations, fragmentation sightings, and geographic extent of visibility.