Seven-ton meteor that fell from Cleveland sky could be seen several states away

A seven-ton meteor that sped crossed the Cleveland entity astatine 72,420 kilometers per hr (45,000 miles per hour) connected Tuesday (March 17, 2026) earlier breaking isolated successful a thunderous roar startled residents, who feared an explosion.

People respective states distant reported seeing the agleam fireball adjacent though it was 9 a.m. The American Meteor Society said it received reports from Wisconsin to Maryland. NASA aboriginal confirmed that it was a meteor astir 1.83 meters (6 feet) successful diameter.

“This 1 truly does look similar it’s a fireball, which means it’s a meteorite — a tiny asteroid,” said astronomer Carl Hergenrother, the group's enforcement director.

“So overmuch worldly is being launched that a batch of times what you spot burning up is conscionable reentering satellites. But usually those don’t get particularly bright,” helium said.

The meteor was archetypal seen astir 80.4 km (50 miles) supra Lake Erie, adjacent Lorain. It travelled much than 55 km (34 miles) done the precocious ambiance earlier fragmenting implicit Valley City, northbound of Medina, NASA said successful a connection from Bill Cooke, who leads the agency's Meteoroid Environments Office successful Huntsville, Alabama.

It unleashed an vigor of 250 tons of TNT erstwhile it broke apart, causing the boom. Staff astatine the National Weather Service successful Cleveland besides heard it and felt the vibrations. They had nary aboriginal reports of immoderate debris being found.

“There could beryllium immoderate tiny fragments, but a batch of it would person burned up successful the atmosphere,” NWS meteorologist Brian Mitchell said.

Meteors typically autumn determination successful the U.S. astir erstwhile a day, portion smaller pieces of abstraction particulate mightiness autumn 10 times an hour, Hergenrother said. Scientists way meteors done a web of peculiar cameras that assistance seizure the nighttime sky, but much members of the nationalist are catching them connected cellphones and information cameras of their own.

“Now we’re seeing them, and there’s dozens of videos popping up each the time,” Hergenrother said.