Georgia Home Struck by 4.56-Billion-Year Meteorite

On June 26, 2025, a meteorite called the 'McDonough Meteorite' crashed through a home in McDonough, Georgia, creating a sonic boom and a visible fireball. Scientists from the University of Georgia analyzed 23 grams of the fragments and identified the meteorite as an L-type ordinary chondrite, approximately 4.56 billion years old—about 20 million years older than Earth. The meteorite, about the size of a cherry tomato, is believed to have come from a group of asteroids in the main belt between Mars and Jupiter and likely resulted from a massive asteroid breakup 470 million years ago. It traveled at over 1 kilometer per second and left a dent in the homeowner's floor. This marks the 27th meteorite found in Georgia, with researchers submitting its name to the Meteoritical Society. Scientists note that improved technology and public awareness are leading to more frequent meteorite recoveries.