Earth’s global network of seismometers can detect subtle ground vibrations created when space junk re-enters the atmosphere, offering scientists a surprising new way to track falling debris from orbit. Seismometers are always listening, usually to the growling of the Earth as a quake occurs, but they could also be used to track falling space junk, offering detailed information in near real-time to help authorities locate and retrieve charred and sometimes toxic junk more quickly. Growing problemSpace debris, or junk, consists of thousands of pieces of manmade objects in Earth’s orbit. Knowing the debris’ path could help organisations track where toxic particulates are heading and who might be exposed to them. “We’d benefit from having additional tracking tools, especially for those rare occasions when debris has radioactive material.”News ReferenceReentry and disintegration dynamics of space debris tracked using seismic data, Science, January 2026.