The Mysterious Georgia Meteorite: 20 Million Years Older Than Earth Crashes into a U.S. Home

In a rare astronomical event, a meteorite estimated to be about 20 million years older than Earth crashed into a home in the U.S. state of Georgia. NASA confirmed that the celestial body entered the atmosphere in broad daylight on June 26, before exploding over the state with a tremendous boom.

Researchers from the University of Georgia examined a fragment of the space rock that pierced the roof of a house in the city of McDonough. According to geologist Scott Harris, the meteorite is a "chondrite"—the most common type of stony meteorite—indicating that it is approximately 4.56 billion years old, making it about 20 million years older than our nascent planet.

Residents of Georgia and neighboring states described witnessing hundreds of bright flashes and hearing a massive roar as a fireball streaked across the sky at high speed. Although the meteorite's speed diminished, it was still traveling at over a kilometer per second, enough to break through the home's roof.

Several fragments of the meteorite were handed over to scientists for analysis of their origin and composition. Scott Harris stated, "This meteorite that entered the atmosphere has a long history before it landed in McDonough," underscoring the significant scientific value of the sample. The homeowner continues to find small pieces of space dust inside their home since the incident, a constant reminder of the celestial visitor.

The object has been named the "McDonough Meteorite," and it is the 27th meteorite to be recovered from the state of Georgia. Harris is optimistic about the future, believing that modern technology and public awareness will help recover more meteorites. He hopes to publish his findings on the meteorite’s composition and speed, which could be crucial for understanding future meteorite risks. He concluded by saying, "A moment may come, we don't know when, where a large object impacts Earth and causes a catastrophe. If we can prevent that, we will."