A bright fireball streaked across parts of Texas on March 21, visible to residents and noted by NASA, agency reports said. Witnesses reported seeing the luminous object around 4:40 p.m. CDT. Preliminary tracking places the meteor’s first appearance at about 49 miles altitude over Stagecoach, northwest of Houston.
Traveling southeast at an estimated 35,000 miles per hour, the meteoroid broke apart in mid‑air. Observers and data indicate fragmentation occurred near 29 miles altitude above Bammel, just west of Cypress Station. Experts estimate the object was roughly three feet wide and weighed nearly a ton; it disintegrated under intense heat and pressure during atmospheric entry.
The breakup generated a strong pressure wave that produced audible sonic booms heard across nearby neighborhoods, with some residents initially mistaking the noise for explosions or thunder. Doppler weather radar detected a debris signature consistent with falling meteorite fragments between Willowbrook and Northgate Crossing, suggesting material may be recoverable on the ground. So far there are no reports of damage or injuries.
Officials and researchers plan to monitor the area for remnants that could help determine the meteor’s composition and origin. While such events are rare locally, they occur worldwide and provide both dramatic public sightings and valuable scientific data. Authorities issued no immediate advisories, and experts continue analyzing observations and trajectory data to refine details of the event.
