A meteorite that tore through the roof of a U.S. home in June 2025 has been dated at 4.56 billion years old, making it roughly 20 million years older than Earth itself.
The impact occurred on June 26 in the state of Georgia, when witnesses reported a bright fireball streaking across the sky, followed by a loud boom.
The meteorite fragment is only about the size of a cherry tomato and weighs just over 23 grams, but it ripped through the roof, HVAC duct, and ceiling before embedding itself into the floor.
McDonough Meteorite origins
Per the BBC, University of Georgia planetary geologist Scott Harris examined the sample and identified it as a “low-metal ordinary chondrite” – a type of meteorite originating from the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.
Its composition and age link it to a larger asteroid that broke apart around 470 million years ago. The event is now being referred to as the McDonough Meteorite, although this wouldn’t be considered the official name unless approved by the Meteoritical Society.
Harris stated that 27 such instances of meteorites of varying sizes have been recovered from Georgia.
“This is something that used to be expected once every few decades and not multiple times within 20 years,” he said.
While not extra-terrestrial, freak acts of nature at home aren’t unheard of. In April 2025, a teen was struck by lightning while scrolling on her phone at home.
