NASA has released a “strewn field” map of where meteorites may have fallen after a rare daytime fireball explosively disintegrated in the skies over Houston on Saturday (March 21) evening — with the force of 26 tons of TNT.
Houston residents reported hearing loud booms as pressure waves brought about by the meteor‘s demise reached the ground at 5:40 p.m. EDT (21:40 GMT), following its brief but fiery descent.
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“Most of the mass of an object like this is reduced to atoms and fine droplets during the fireball and only a few percent of the total mass survives to reach the ground, scattered across a range of meteorite sizes,” according to a post from NASA’s Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science Division (ARES).
Where did the meteorites fall?
Scientists detected meteor fragments falling through the Texas skies for eight minutes following its destruction 29 miles (46.6 kilometers) above the community of Bammel in Harris County on the evening of March 21. The fragments may have come to rest on a swathe of densely populated land between Willowbrook and Northgate Crossing.
In the image above, the potential distribution of the meteor fragments can be seen visualized in a strewn field map created by NASA’s Ares division. The colors overlaid on the map indicate where you’re likely to find larger or smaller meteorites, with red marking the zone where the heaviest (around 2.2 pounds, or 1 kilogram) shards may have fallen, and yellow where the lightest (around 0.04 ounces, or 1 gram) samples may be found.
ARES notes the map is provisional and subject to being updated when a discrepancy is resolved between its model of the event and another made by NASA’s Meteoroid Environment Office. The agency also cautions potential meteorite hunters not to trespass on private property during their search.
Think you’ve found a meteorite? Your first step should be to compare it to images of confirmed meteorites online before contacting your local university’s geology department for advice and potential verification. You can also take a look for yourself using our handy home guide to identifying meteorite features? Try not to handle it too much with your bare hands, as the oils contained in your skin can degrade precious samples contained within the ancient meteorite, which dates back to the formation of the solar system.
This fireball incident follows hot on the heels of a separate daytime fireball event that rattled houses over northern Ohio on the morning of March 17, scattering meteorites in the vicinity of Medina County. Both fireballs are likely isolated events and aren’t associated with major meteor showers.
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