Huge fireball over Ohio Mar 17, 2026

That big? Their astronomer quote suggested a lot smaller.
Whose astronomer?*

From NASA:
"Moving east of south at 40,000 miles per hour, the fireball - caused by a small asteroid nearly 6 feet in diameter and weighing about 7 tons - traveled over 34 miles through the upper atmosphere before fragmenting 30 miles over Valley City, north of Medina."



* Oh.
The Exec. Director of American Meteor Society Carl Hergenrother.


NASA seems pretty sure.
 
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Citation? My source is NASA.
They quoted the Director of American Meteor Society, Carl Somebody. Probably go with NASA on this one, though seven tons is ...DK....seems like that much would have exploded into more noticeable debris. But I guess it's early days on this, maybe more reports will come in the next few days.
 
All the data you could want:
 
In case anyone is in the Medina Ohio area. I cobbled together this roadmap-scale map of the likely impact site.
(Had to massively compress it to fit in the site size limit but I have a less lossy version.)

2026-03-17 fireball lo-rez.jpg
 
Could you make the impact area more of a Kelly green? It is still March 17, where I am, anyway.

Sláinte, all of you! Éirinn go Brách.
 
A compilation from a few years ago. You may want to watch with no sound. After the first one 0-12 seconds.


 
Could you make the impact area more of a Kelly green? It is still March 17, where I am, anyway.

Sláinte, all of you! Éirinn go Brách.
Yes, a lot of slightly tipsy Irishmen and women last night at Clapham Junction station, when I got off the train. Everyone in a good mood though.
 
We heard the sonic boom in western PA.
I have heard that some people saw it streak across the sky and that it moved very fast.
 
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