IM1 / CNEOS 2014-01-08 meteor.

disputedscientific_anomalyScientific Instrumentation & Sensor Data

~0.5 m bolide over the Pacific (2014) that Loeb & Siraj claimed is interstellar from US-government velocity data; trajectory basis contested.

Loeb and Amir Siraj argued the bolide USG 20140108 came from outside the solar system based on its CNEOS-reported speed, renaming it IM1. US Space Command later issued a memo supporting the interstellar interpretation. Critics question the velocity uncertainties and whether any solid fragment could survive a >28 km/s atmospheric entry. The site became the target of Loeb's 2023 spherule expedition. **Replication status:** disputed · velocity contested — Siraj & Loeb material-strength/velocity argument (ApJL) is peer-reviewed but the interstellar interpretation is rebutted: CNEOS reports no error bars; velocity uncertainties swamp the hyperbolic excess (Hajduková et al., A&A 691 A8).

Connected entities

Avi Loeb.Hajduková et al. 2024 — CNEOS velocity uncertainties too large for any interstellar fireball claim.IM1 'BeLaU' spherules expedition.IM1 'the seismometer was a truck' critique (Fernando et al. 2024).Physical-Evidence Replication Scorecard (2026).