NASA JPL Fireball Events Scraper

NASA JPL Fireball Events Scraper

Scrape NASA JPL fireball event data, from any date range, up to a million events per run. Each event includes its date, location, total radiated energy, and computed impact details. No API key or login required. Export to CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML.

NASA's public fireball API returns raw JSON with nested fields and no easy way to filter by date or energy. This Actor reads the NASA JPL Fireball Events feed directly, applies your filters as each event is read, and returns every match in one flat, consistent row. You get clean, analysis-ready data without writing a single line of code.

Who uses it	What they scrape NASA JPL Fireball Events for
Astronomy researchers	Build a chronological dataset of fireball events for statistical analysis
Meteorite hunters	Find recent fireball events with reported locations to plan field searches
Science journalists	Pull the latest fireball events for news stories and visualizations
Educators	Collect real fireball data for classroom projects on meteors and impacts

What it does

This Actor collects NASA JPL fireball events by date range, minimum total radiated energy, and location availability, and returns each event as a flat row.

• 📅 Date range filter: return only events between Date From and Date To, in UTC.
• ⚡ Energy threshold: set a minimum total radiated energy in joules x 10^10 to focus on larger events.
• 📍 Location required: toggle to return only events with reported latitude and longitude.
• 🔢 Result limit: cap the number of events per run, from 1 to 1,000,000, newest first.

Results export to CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML, or straight from the API.

What you can do with NASA JPL Fireball Events data

🔭 Build a fireball research dataset.

An astronomy researcher sets a date range of the last five years and collects all events with energy above 1 joule x 10^10 to study frequency and energy distribution.

🗺️ Plan a meteorite hunt.

A meteorite hunter filters for events in the last month with reported locations and exports the CSV to map potential fall zones.

📰 Report on recent fireballs.

A science journalist runs the Actor weekly with no filters to get the newest events and writes a story on notable fireball activity.

🏫 Teach with real data.

An educator collects fireball events from the past year and has students plot locations and energies to understand meteor phenomena.

Why choose this scraper

	What you get
No API key	The NASA JPL Fireball API is public and requires no authentication.
Flat output	Every event is returned as one row with consistent fields, ready for spreadsheets.
Flexible filters	Filter by date, energy, and location before data is stored.
Scalable	Collect up to a million events in a single run.

How it compares

No other Store actor targets NASA JPL Fireball Events the same way, so the honest comparison is with the alternatives teams actually weigh.

	NASA JPL Fireball Events Scraper	Build it in-house	By hand
Setup	Run it now, zero config	Days of engineering	None, but hours per pull
When NASA JPL Fireball Events changes	Maintained for you	You fix it	You re-learn the page
Proxies, retries, anti-bot	Built in	Your problem	Browser only
Output	Fixed JSON schema, CSV/Excel export	Whatever you build	Copy-paste
Cost	Pay per result	Engineering time	Analyst hours

Configure the run

Drive the Actor with an optional date range, a minimum total radiated energy, and a location requirement, and set a maximum number of events to return. Filters run as each event is read so only matches reach your dataset. The Input tab lists every parameter.

A first run with the defaults:

{
 "maxItems": 10
}

A larger pull:

{
 "maxItems": 200
}

Pricing

Pay-per-result: $0.004 per result collected. You pay only for the results written to your dataset.

Results collected	Approximate cost
100 results	$0.40
1,000 results	$4.00
10,000 results	$40.00

New Apify accounts start with $5 in free credit.

Free users

Free-plan runs return up to 10 results as a preview. Upgrade your Apify plan to collect up to 1,000,000 results per run.

Run it

1. Create a free Apify account with $5 in credit.
2. Open the NASA JPL Fireball Events Scraper.
3. Set your inputs and any filters, then click Start.
4. Export the results as CSV, Excel, JSON, or XML from the Dataset tab.

Run it programmatically through the Apify API (run-sync-get-dataset-items) or the ApifyClient for JavaScript and Python.

Use with AI agents (MCP)

Give an AI agent live access to NASA JPL Fireball Events through the Model Context Protocol. Add the Actor to Claude, Cursor, or any MCP client:

claude mcp add --transport http apify "https://mcp.apify.com?tools=parseforge/jpl-fireball-events-scraper"

Then prompt it in plain language to run the scraper and read back the results.

Troubleshooting

Why am I getting no results?

Check your filters. A date range that is too narrow or a high minimum energy can exclude all events. Try widening the date range or lowering the energy threshold.

Why are some events missing a location?

Not all fireball events have a reported latitude and longitude. Enable Require Location to return only events with location data.

What does the energy value mean?

The total radiated energy is in joules x 10^10. For example, a value of 1 means 10^10 joules. Use the minimum energy filter to focus on larger events.

Can I get more than 1,000,000 events?

The maximum per run is 1,000,000. If you need more, split your request into smaller date ranges and run the Actor multiple times.

FAQ

Question	Answer
What is a fireball event?	A fireball is a very bright meteor, typically brighter than Venus. NASA JPL records these events with estimated energy, location, and timing.
Do I need an API key?	No. The NASA JPL Fireball API is public and does not require authentication. This Actor handles the request for you.
What date format should I use?	Use YYYY-MM-DD for dates or YYYY-MM-DDThh:mm:ss for date-times, in UTC. For example, 2020-01-01 or 2020-01-01T12:00:00.
What does total radiated energy mean?	It is the estimated total energy radiated by the fireball in the atmosphere, measured in joules x 10^10. Higher values mean larger events.
Can I get only events with a location?	Yes. Enable the Require Location option to return only events that have a reported latitude and longitude.
How many events can I collect?	You can set the maximum events per run from 1 to 1,000,000. The newest events are returned first.
What output formats are supported?	You can export the results to CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML from the Apify dataset.
Is the data updated?	The Actor reads the live NASA JPL Fireball API each run, so you always get the latest events available.

Related actors

Browse the full ParseForge collection for more scrapers.

🆘 Need help? Email parseforge@protonmail.com with your run ID, your input, and what you expected.

⚠️ Disclaimer. This Actor is unofficial and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. It collects only publicly available data. You are responsible for using the collected data in compliance with the source's terms of service and applicable data-protection laws, including GDPR, CCPA, and PIPL. Do not use it to collect personal data unlawfully.