Meteorite Lights Up Houston Sky, Crashes into Home
On Saturday night, a bright flash illuminated the skies over Houston, followed by a loud sonic boom.
This event, attributed to meteorites, seems to have become a frequent occurrence. Just recently, a meteorite struck Ohio on March 17, and another hit Germany earlier in the same month.
One fragment broke apart over Texas, ultimately crashing through the roof and into the bedroom of Sherry James’ house.
“I’m a huge science fiction fan,” she mentioned. “I really wished something hadn’t grown inside the egg, but I didn’t touch it at first. I was worried about radiation or foreign insects or whatever else might come with it.”
Meteorite tracker Roberto Vargas suggested the current surge in meteor notices relates to Earth’s position in space. “We think Earth is moving through debris,” Vargas explained. “There are floating objects up there, they collide, and sometimes pieces are large enough to reach the ground. Often, though, it’s just shooting stars or burning fireballs—sometimes, it’s just sheer coincidence.”
Meteorites generally originate from the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, often around 4.5 billion years old when they land on Earth. Last year also saw meteor reports in states like Georgia, Alabama, and Arkansas.
Vargas recounted his experiences following a meteorite incident, similar to what happened on March 8 in Koblenz, Germany. “I was in Germany right after it happened. We searched for days, but only one stone landed on a house, and the owners didn’t want to sell it. We combed the area looking for more fragments but found nothing. So, I headed back home,” he shared.
When a meteorite fell in Ohio, he didn’t waste time, driving eight hours from his home in Connecticut to join other meteorite hunters scouring the area. Vargas collects and sells meteorites online.
Karl Dietrich, another hunter who came from South Carolina, reported finding pieces of the meteor in Ohio. “I’ve been here since the day after it fell,” he said. “We’ve found two pieces so far, just looking for that black stone on the ground.”
He estimated the “black rock” could fetch around $200 per gram. With an ounce being 28 grams, that can add up pretty quickly.
Back in Houston, James is working on the roof damage caused by the meteorite. She knows it could fetch a good price along with the meteorite that landed in her daughter’s room.
This meteorite, mostly made of silicate minerals, possibly contains small fragments of metallic iron. For the untrained eye, it might just look like a rock, but its value can increase significantly. In fact, a 4.6-pound meteorite that fell through a house in Indonesia in 2020 was estimated to be worth around $1.85 million; sadly, the homeowner, a coffin maker, was tricked into selling it for far less.
Vargas clarified that meteorites rarely penetrate man-made structures. These stones, known as “hammerstones,” hold more value for collectors compared to those found lying around in fields. “Hammerstones are the most collectible type of meteorite,” Dr. Lawrence Garvey, from Arizona State University, remarked. “When a meteorite drifts by someone’s house, it could be a big deal, but scientifically, it doesn’t matter much whether it lands on a house or in a field.”
Dr. Garvey also pointed out the frequency of meteor falls. “There are 10 to 20 meteors coming through every day globally, but since roughly 70% of the Earth is water and a bit more is inaccessible, they rarely impact populated areas,” he noted.
Meanwhile, Sherry James is still processing her unexpected experience. “I’ve felt knots in my stomach ever since it happened. I went out to dinner last night but just couldn’t eat. There’s this stranger wanting to come to my house to look at the meteorite, and it’s making me uncomfortable,” she admitted.
Vargas emphasized the rights regarding meteor ownership after they fall: words like “finder” and “custodian” are used, but if the event happens on private property, it belongs to the landowner automatically.
Garvey, however, played down the significance of the recent uptick in meteorite incidents, stating, “It’s just a coincidence that a few have landed in populated areas. It’s entirely random.”
