The Watchers - Editor's Picks

Researchers identify South Atlantic fireball as likely interstellar meteor

Reet Kaur — Thu, 04 Jun 2026 16:28:01 +0000

A fireball detected over the South Atlantic Ocean at 02:13:14 UTC on April 1, 2026, has emerged as a candidate interstellar meteor following an orbital analysis by Avi Loeb and Richard Cloete, who argue that its trajectory is inconsistent with an origin within the Solar System. The object, designated Polar-IM, is described by Loeb and Cloete as the strongest interstellar meteor candidate yet identified in the NASA Center for Near Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) fireball database, with a confidence level above 99.9997% under the researchers' uncertainty model.

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Kīlauea sets lava-fountaining record with episode 48, Hawaii

Teo Blašković — Tue, 02 Jun 2026 15:40:00 +0000

Kīlauea’s ongoing summit eruption reached its 48th lava-fountaining episode in Halemaʻumaʻu crater, Hawaii, at 04:40 HST (14:40 UTC) on June 1, 2026, setting a written-record benchmark for episodic lava fountaining during a single Kīlauea eruption, according to the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO). The episode ended abruptly at 13:37 HST (23:37 UTC) after just under 9 hours of continuous fountaining from the north vent, and the eruption was paused afterward.

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Wildfires caused record losses in 2025 despite having the second-lowest burn area since 2002

Rishav Kothari — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 10:18:44 +0000

A new study found that 335 million ha (828 million ha) burned worldwide in 2025, the second-lowest global wildfire total since 2002 and 16% below the long-term average. Despite that, 2025 became the costliest year on record for insured wildfire losses globally, with more than 300 000 evacuations and over 90 fatalities linked to major fires in Canada, the United States, Europe, and South Korea.

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Hydrothermal venting at residential property prompts evacuations in El Salitre, Michoacán, Mexico

Teo Blašković — Wed, 27 May 2026 06:36:44 +0000

Authorities in Michoacán, Mexico, evacuated a residence and nearby homes and suspended classes at a nearby preschool after hot water, steam, mud, and gases vented from the ground at a residential property in the community of El Salitre, municipality of Ixtlán, during the night of May 25–26, 2026. Protección Civil described the phenomenon as hydrothermal activity under assessment.

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Bright fireball seen over erupting Mayon volcano, Philippines

Teo Blašković — Tue, 26 May 2026 09:07:22 +0000

A very bright meteor was seen over erupting Mayon volcano in the Philippines at 22:33 PHT (14:33 UTC) on May 25, 2026. Videos of the event show the object crossing the sky near the volcano before ending in a very bright terminal flash.

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New Jersey declares State of Emergency and seeks Disaster designation after April freeze causes USD 300 million in crop losses

Rishav Kothari — Thu, 21 May 2026 10:32:04 +0000

New Jersey declared a State of Emergency on May 20, 2026, and requested a federal Disaster designation after freezing temperatures between April 19 and 22 caused widespread agricultural damage across the state during a critical growing stage. Early estimates place losses at more than USD 300 million.

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M6.1 earthquake damages buildings and injures 28 in Ica, Peru

Teo Blašković — Wed, 20 May 2026 11:02:00 +0000

A strong earthquake registered by the IGP as an M6.1 struck near Ica, southern Peru, at 12:57 LT (17:57 UTC) on May 19, 2026, injuring 28 people and damaging homes, schools, health facilities, roads, and other public facilities.

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Asteroid 2026 JH2 to fly past Earth at 0.24 lunar distances

Teo Blašković — Wed, 13 May 2026 11:45:00 +0000

Asteroid 2026 JH2 is expected to pass Earth at a distance of 0.237 LD (0.00061 AU / 91 300 km / 56 700 miles) from the center of our planet at 21:23 UTC on May 18, 2026. Its closest point will be about 84 900 km (52 700 miles) above Earth’s surface.

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Asteroid 2026 JM2 passed Earth at 0.1 lunar distance

Teo Blašković — Tue, 12 May 2026 16:58:53 +0000

Asteroid 2026 JM2 passed Earth at a distance of 0.114 LD (0.00029 AU / 43 800 km / 27 200 miles), from the center of our planet at 13:06 UTC on May 7, 2026, becoming the 4th closest known asteroid flyby within 1 lunar distance recorded so far this year. At its closest, the object was about 37 400 km (23 200 miles) above Earth’s surface, about 1 600 km (1 000 miles) outside the altitude used by geostationary satellites.

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Increased seismicity and gas emissions at Kupreanof volcano, Alaska

Teo Blašković — Sat, 09 May 2026 16:44:18 +0000

Seismic activity and sulfur dioxide emissions have increased at Kupreanof volcano in Alaska over recent months, likely due to magmatic intrusion beneath the volcano. Kupreanof is a heavily glaciated stratovolcano on the Alaska Peninsula with no known historical eruptions. Current data do not indicate an eruption is imminent.

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