It may seem like there has been an unusually high number of meteorites this year, as seen by the many fireball events that were reported across the United States this week.
The American Meteor Society says that there was a notable increase in fireball activity in early 2026, with ten incidents until mid-March producing more than 100 witness reports apiece. Despite the fact that small space objects are constantly crashing into the Earth's atmosphere, the amount of fireballs reported in 2026 is more than usual.
Another possible reason is that more people have cameras handy, from smartphones to doorbell cameras to dashboard cameras, making it faster and easier to record and share these fleeting cosmic occurrences when they happen, which is another possible reason for the apparent rise in meteor sightings.
Large fireball incidents appear to have increased considerably in the first quarter of 2026. Reporting 61 events recorded at the 25+ report threshold versus a 2021-2025 average of roughly 43 – up about 42%, according to the American Meteor Society.
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