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A meteor is the brilliant streak of light created when a space rock, known as a meteoroid, ignites during its descent through the Earth’s atmosphere. As a result, every meteoroid that falls to Earth inevitably transforms into a meteor, whether it burns brightly or fades out. This concept lays the foundation for the list that follows.
In some rare instances, an extraterrestrial rock descends to Earth, becomes a meteor, and then, for reasons unknown, decides to break free from our atmosphere to continue its journey across the universe. Below, we’ll explore ten remarkable cases where meteors defied the usual fate, with some becoming breathtaking spectacles.
10. Japan Earth-Grazer 2006
As mentioned earlier, meteors typically form when space rocks ignite and disintegrate upon entering the Earth’s atmosphere. However, occasionally, these meteoroids approach Earth in a path nearly parallel to the surface, grazing the upper atmosphere before ‘bouncing’ back into space. After briefly becoming bright meteors, these rocks continue their journey and return to outer space. These types of meteors are known as ‘Earth-grazers.’
An Earth-grazer event took place in Japan on March 29, 2006. A brilliant fireball lit up the sky across several Japanese cities, allowing multiple stations to track its trajectory and features with great precision. The fireball was caused by a meteoroid weighing about 100 kilograms (220 lb) that entered the atmosphere from a height of 87 kilometers (54 mi). The meteor then traveled approximately 1,000 kilometers (621 mi) over Japan, lasting 35 seconds before leaving Earth’s atmosphere.
This marked the third Earth-grazing meteor to be scientifically observed and accurately measured. Using photographs, TV camera footage, telescopic views, and specialized software, researchers were able to determine its characteristics. Despite the advanced technology used, Earth-grazers are extremely rare, and there are very few documented instances worldwide, even though most meteors on this list belong to this category.
9. Fast-Moving Fireball 1990
On October 13, 1990, two astronomical stations detected the passage of an Earth-grazer meteor over Czechoslovakia and Poland. Three additional independent observers in Czechoslovakia and a fourth person in Denmark also confirmed the sighting. The fireball was caused by a 44-kilogram (97 lb) meteoroid, which entered the Earth’s atmosphere, reaching a minimum height of 98 kilometers (61 mi). It was traveling at an incredible speed of approximately 42 kilometers per second (26 miles per second), about 20 times faster than the world’s fastest manned aircraft.
Visible for nearly ten seconds in the night sky, the Earth-grazer traveled a remarkable distance of 409 kilometers (254 mi). After that, the meteor exited the atmosphere and returned to space, now moving at a slower pace. Its mass was also reduced; after burning for a brief moment in the atmosphere, it shed 350 grams (0.77 lb) of material. To confirm the meteor’s trajectory, NASA used computer simulations, which closely matched the direct observations and confirmed the meteor’s departure from Earth. A Czech camera station, part of the “European Fireball Network” program, captured the Earth-grazer mid-flight, showing the bright object crossing the sky near its highest point.
8. The Great Meteor 1860
Occasionally, an Earth-grazer meteor can dip low enough into the atmosphere to fragment into multiple pieces. When this occurs, the Earth-grazer breaks into smaller fireballs that travel horizontally across the sky in the same direction. Some of these fragments disintegrate in the atmosphere, while others return to space. As these lights move in a seemingly coordinated manner at a slower speed, this event is known as a “meteor procession.” This rare phenomenon has been recorded in only four known instances to date.
One such event occurred on July 20, 1860, at 9:49 PM, when American artist Frederic Church and his wife, who were honeymooning in Catskill, New York, witnessed a spectacular display of bright orange meteors streaking across the sky. Not far from them, the renowned poet Walt Whitman also observed the same celestial event. In his poem “Year of Meteors (1859–60),” he referred to it as “the strange huge meteor-procession dazzling and clear shooting over our heads.” Hundreds of people across the United States saw the fireballs, and many newspapers of the time documented the remarkable occurrence.
What all these witnesses observed was a rare meteor procession, in which several meteors crossed the North American sky from west to east. The fragmented Earth-grazer passed over the Great Lakes, located between the United States and Canada, descended to its lowest point above the Hudson River in New York, and continued toward the Atlantic Ocean. After traveling over 1,600 kilometers (994 mi), the meteors exited the atmosphere and left Earth behind.
7. Cometary Fragment 2012
Around 20,000 years ago, a massive comet within our solar system shattered, giving birth to Comet Encke (officially known as 2P/Encke), famous for its frequent visits near Earth. On June 10, 2012, a meteoroid from this comet made a brief visit to our planet before resuming its journey through space. The rock, weighing 16 kilograms (35 lb), entered Earth’s atmosphere about 100 kilometers (62 mi) above eastern Spain.
The Earth-grazer traveled at a mind-blowing speed of 105,000 kilometers per hour (65,244 mph) toward the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula. After dropping to about 98 kilometers (61 mi) above sea level, the meteor began to rise again. Still over Spain and just 32 kilometers (20 mi) away from the Atlantic Ocean, the fireball bid farewell and returned to space, with only a slight change in speed. However, Earth's atmosphere left an imprint on the meteoroid: it lost 260 grams (0.57 lb) of mass and returned to its orbit with a fusion crust, the characteristic layer of melted rock found on meteorites.
This fireball covered a distance of 510 kilometers (317 mi) through Earth's atmosphere in just 17 seconds. What sets it apart is its remarkable characteristics. It holds the title of the faintest Earth-grazer meteor ever recorded, with a brightness akin to that of the planet Venus. Additionally, it is the first event of its kind to have originated from a meteor shower—the Zeta Perseid meteor shower, which takes place every June and shares its origins with Comet Encke's debris field.
6. Christmas Eve Meteor 2014
On the evening of December 24, 2014, as people were busy celebrating Christmas Eve, a meteor made its way toward Earth for a brief visit before departing. A total of 13 observation stations in Spain and Portugal tracked the slow-moving fireball as it crossed Europe from southeast to northwest. The object weighed 100 kilograms (220 lb), had a diameter of 1 meter (3.3 ft), and traveled at a speed of 68,400 kilometers per hour (42,500 mph).
The meteor entered Earth's atmosphere over North Africa, starting to glow at a height of 105 kilometers (65 mi). It then continued its descent, reaching 75 kilometers (47 mi) above Spain. The fireball moved so slowly that some drivers had enough time to pull over and witness it. As it continued over Portugal, the meteor began to ascend. Eventually, it reached the Atlantic Ocean, where it left Earth's atmosphere about 100 kilometers (62 mi) off the coast of Galicia (Spain), heading back into space.
The meteoroid, known by the code SPMN241214, is a rock originating from the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. After its close pass by Earth, the rock's trajectory shifted, but it continues to orbit the Sun as before. Footage from the University of Huelva highlights the object's bright trail, leaving behind a short, narrow streak of light. Another video from Guadalajara, Spain, underscores the meteor's slow pace, capturing the light for around half a minute before it vanishes from view. The entire fireball event lasted for one minute.
5. Zagami Meteorite 1996
Not all meteors return to the vastness of space on their own. Some rocks that once journeyed through the heavens are sent back by human hands. In October 1962, a farmer working in his fields in Zagami, Nigeria, heard a loud explosion. When he looked to the sky, he witnessed a meteor plummeting to the Earth, landing just 3 meters (10 ft) away from him. Upon inspecting the impact site, he found a crater 0.6 meters (2 ft) deep with a black rock inside. That rock was an 18-kilogram (40 lb) meteorite from Mars, ejected from the Martian surface after a comet collision 2.5 million years ago.
In November 1996, NASA embarked on its first successful mission to Mars in two decades—the Mars Global Surveyor. The mission involved launching a spacecraft to orbit the Red Planet and capture images of its surface over the years. But the spacecraft wasn’t alone. It carried a small piece of the Zagami meteorite, sealed in a resin bubble. In September 1997, the spacecraft began orbiting Mars, effectively sending the Zagami meteorite back home. This rock, which had left Mars millions of years ago, fallen to Earth almost 60 years ago, and now returned to its birthplace. Although Mars Global Surveyor is no longer active, it continues to orbit Mars and is predicted to eventually crash into the Martian surface, making the Zagami meteorite a meteor once again, this time in its rightful home.
4. Unconfirmed Earth-Grazers 1996/2012
Meteors are fleeting and unpredictable, making it a challenge to predict where the next one will occur. It's even harder to confirm whether specific sightings are truly meteors that have fallen and returned to space. On October 3, 1996, an unusual shooting star streaked across the sky in New Mexico, only to disappear. However, 100 minutes later, the same fireball reappeared over California and exploded. It's believed that this meteor was a rock that bounced within the atmosphere, nearly completing an entire orbit before descending over Southern California. Still, the reports remain unverified.
Later, at 11:00 PM on September 21, 2012, thousands of observers across England, Scotland, and Ireland saw a fireball (pictured above) streak across the sky. The light moved slowly and lasted for around 40 seconds before vanishing. Two and a half hours after, another meteor with identical characteristics appeared over Canada and the United States. Emergency hotlines in multiple countries were flooded with calls from people startled by the sight of the fireball.
Mathematician Esko Lyytinen, from the Ursa Astronomical Association (Finland), soon weighed in, claiming the meteors on September 21 were linked. Both were caused by a single space rock that began its fiery descent over Ireland, reaching 53 kilometers (33 mi) in height. The rock had enough speed to fly back into space, but as it re-entered the atmosphere, it lost momentum. After completing a full orbit and 155 minutes in space, the remnants of the meteoroid re-entered over North America, ending its wild journey. While experts questioned this conclusion due to limited details on speed and angle, the possibility of an Earth-grazer remained.
3. The Great Daylight Fireball 1972
Unlike the other Earth-grazing meteors we have encountered, which all took place during the night or under poorly understood conditions, this particular event happened in broad daylight and was witnessed by thousands of people. This is why it remains the most famous Earth-grazer, often referred to as the Great Daylight Fireball. On August 10, 1972, at 2:30 PM, a space rock entered Earth's atmosphere above Utah. For over a minute and a half, it crossed the sky heading north before exiting Earth over Alberta, Canada.
The Earth-grazer generated enough heat as it passed through the atmosphere that a US Air Force satellite detected it, recording its speed and trajectory. Investigations revealed the object entered Earth's atmosphere at a velocity of approximately 54,100 kilometers per hour (33,616 mph). The meteoroid is estimated to have had a maximum mass of 570 tons and measured 14 meters (46 ft) in length—roughly the size of a truck, but much heavier. When it exited the atmosphere at around 102 kilometers (63 mi) above Earth, its size had reduced to about 10 meters (33 ft).
The closest point to Earth’s surface was 58 kilometers (36 mi) above Montana. Due to its low altitude, people nearby reported hearing sonic booms as the meteor streaked across the sky. Numerous recordings of the fireball exist, including a 20-second video of its path and a photograph capturing the Earth-grazer soaring over the Teton Mountains in Wyoming. While the final outcome is well known, it’s estimated that if the object had impacted Earth, it would have had the destructive power of an atomic bomb. Thankfully, the meteor was in a generous mood that day.
2. Campo Del Cielo Meteorite 2014
The Zagami meteorite is not the only extraterrestrial rock that humans have sent back into space. For 4.5 billion years, a massive iron object drifted through outer space before it collided with Earth around 4,000 years ago. The impact occurred in Argentina, and the locals named the impact site 'Campo del Cielo' (Field of the Sky).
In 2012, Scottish artist Katie Paterson obtained a small fragment of the Campo del Cielo meteorite, melted it at 1,700 degrees Celsius (3,092 °F), and reshaped it into its original form. The new meteorite, weighing 680 grams (1.5 lb), was sent to a European Space Agency facility in the Netherlands. In July 2014, it was launched aboard the spacecraft Georges Lemaitre to the International Space Station.
The meteorite was unpacked and readied for its return to Earth aboard the same spacecraft that had taken it into space. In February 2015, the meteorite made a fiery reentry into Earth's atmosphere. The Campo del Cielo meteorite differs from the Zagami meteorite in at least two ways. First, it became a meteor twice, and second, it did so within our very own atmosphere. This is why Paterson’s project received international recognition, proving that a meteor that falls to Earth need not do so only once.
1. Rare Aten Asteroid 2007
Details on the Earth-grazer meteor known as EN070807 are limited. The only known references to it come from a single public article published by the Ondrejov Observatory, which is part of the European Fireball Network in the Czech Republic. The European Fireball Network names meteoric events using abbreviations of their date, and the code name for this Earth-grazer indicates that it passed by Earth on August 7, 2007.
EN070807 is classified as an Aten-type asteroid. Aten asteroids are rocky fragments that travel in orbits relatively close to the Sun. It is believed that many of them originate from the main asteroid belt. These asteroids frequently intersect Earth's orbit, making them potential threats to our planet. In the case of EN070807, while its initial orbit was of the Aten variety, its encounter with Earth could have altered its path.
As EN070807 descended across the European sky, multiple stations in the Czech Republic captured photographs of the event. This allowed the European Fireball Network to include the Earth-grazer in its biannual report, alongside 44 other standard fireballs. Like the other meteors on this list, EN070807 lost material during its brief journey through Earth's atmosphere, but the rest of its mass continues to drift through space.
