He Was 14 Feet Away When Meteorite Struck at 2,237mph

A meteorite that crashed through a Georgia home in June has turned out to be a true relic of the early solar system—older than Earth itself, according to researchers. The meteorite streaked across the sky in daylight before breaking apart and landing in McDonough, Georgia, on June 26. NASA confirmed the event after residents across Georgia and nearby states reported a dramatic fireball and a loud boom. Scientists at the University of Georgia analyzed fragments that struck the house and determined the rock is a chondrite, a common type of stony meteorite, per a release. Using optical and electron microscopy, the team estimated the rock formed about 4.56 billion years ago, which makes it roughly 20 million years older than Earth.

"It belongs to a group of asteroids in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter that we now think we can tie to a breakup of a much larger asteroid about 470 million years ago," said Scott Harris, a University of Georgia geologist, per CNN. "But in that breakup, some pieces get into Earth-crossing orbits, and if given long enough, their orbit around the sun and Earth's orbit around the sun end up being at the same place, at the same moment in time."

Researchers say the "McDonough meteorite," the 27th meteorite found in Georgia, was traveling 2,237 miles per hour as it struck the home, per the BBC. It pierced the roof and ceiling before cracking a floor, CNN reports. The resident, who was 14 feet away from where the rock hit the floor, says he's still finding fragments days after the impact. "There was enough energy when it hit the floor that it pulverized part of the material down to literal dust fragments," said Harris, who plans to publish his findings on its composition and trajectory in hopes of improving understanding of potential asteroid threats.