'McDonough meteorite' is oldest known rock that predates Earth
On June 26, a fireball streaked across the southeastern US sky before a chunk of ancient space rock smashed through a house in McDonough, Georgia.
Dubbed the McDonough Meteorite, it scattered fragments and left behind quite the mess—and an unforgettable story.
Meteorite is about 4.56 billion years old
Scientists say this meteorite is about 4.56 billion years old—making it even older than Earth itself.
It likely started out in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter and only ended up here after breaking off from a bigger asteroid about 470 million years ago.
How to spot meteorites
Traveling at over 1km per second, this meteorite caused real damage and will soon be officially named and classified in the Meteoritical Bulletin.
If you spot one in the Southeast US, reporting it helps researchers track these space visitors and keep tabs on potential risks.