A bright fireball was observed yesterday in the northwestern regions of Russia.
Regional forums and channels in northwestern Russia are sharing videos of a notably bright fireball observed yesterday, October 21, 2026, at approximately 17:50–17:51 Moscow time. Most reports originated from the area around the Rybinsk Reservoir (Cherepovets, Vologda). The fireball traveled north of these locations, likely in the vicinity of Lake Beloye (Belozero).
Given its trajectory—moving from east to west—and the fact that the observation coincided with the peak of the Orionid meteor shower (whose radiant was in the northeast at that time), the object was most likely a larger fragment associated with this shower. Such larger pieces are frequently found within the cloud of dust and small pebbles that make up the bulk of a meteor stream. Based on visual estimates, the object may have ranged in size from 10–20 cm up to half a meter.
Determining the trajectory of such an object is an intriguing challenge. We have previously performed similar calculations for a large fireball observed north of Moscow on October 27, 2025 [russian language] (almost exactly a year ago), as well as for an object that fell into the Black Sea [russian language] south of the Crimean Bridge on March 12 of this year. In the current case, however, the task is quite difficult—the observations are scattered and lack precise directional or coordinate data—and the object itself appears to be of a common type, the kind that enters Earth's atmosphere several times a day.
The probability that any significant fragments of this object reached the ground is extremely low. Based on the available video footage, the object disintegrated completely at an altitude of 20 to 30 km; consequently, only tiny fragments could have reached the Earth's surface, scattered over an area of several hundred square kilometers.
Nevertheless, the event carries a certain romantic quality. The Orionid meteor shower—to which this object most likely belongs—originates from Halley's Comet. This means that a small piece of a comet may have fallen to Earth yesterday. The main nucleus of the comet is not expected to return to Earth's vicinity until 2061.