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Wadsworth is a rare HED meteorite
that fell in Ohio in USA on 17 March 2026

The meteorite officially classified as Wadsworth fell on March 17, 2026, over the state of Ohio, USA. The spectacular fireball was accompanied by a powerful sonic boom heard across a vast area. Shortly after the event, radar observations and trajectory analyses made it possible to determine the predicted meteorite strewn field covering the areas around Granger, Sharon Center, Wadsworth, Rittman, and nearby regions of Ohio.

The meteorite was classified as a eucrite achondrite belonging to the HED group of meteorites originating from asteroid Vesta. As a result, the fall attracted enormous interest from both the scientific community and meteorite collectors, since fresh eucrite falls are relatively rare. The meteorites displayed an extremely fresh, glossy black fusion crust combined with a light gray interior contrasting strongly with the dark exterior. Many recovered specimens also exhibited highly unusual spiny and strongly sculpted surface textures, in some cases resembling frozen droplets or aerodynamic forms. This remarkable texture quickly became one of the most distinctive and recognizable characteristics of the Wadsworth fall.

Already on the first day of the search we encountered significant logistical and field-related difficulties. Some local residents did not permit even short-term searching in parking areas or adjacent properties. Additional difficulties were caused by extremely unfavorable weather conditions. Frequent and intense rainfall persisted throughout much of the expedition leaving many fields completely waterlogged. In some places mud and standing water reached ankle depth making movement across the terrain extremely difficult and significantly reducing the efficiency of the search efforts.

As time went on it also became clear that a substantial portion of the meteorites had fallen onto private properties that were either inaccessible or heavily restricted. In many cases despite polite conversations with landowners we received firm refusals when asking permission to search fields meadows or pastures.

HED meteorite that fell in Ohio in USA on 17 March 2026

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Our meteorite search related to the Ohio fall lasted approximately three weeks. As always we began the fieldwork with great enthusiasm initially focusing on the area containing the smallest predicted masses between the towns of Granger and Sharon Center. Throughout the expedition we primarily worked using the strewn field map prepared by Mateusz Żmija the SkyTinel fireball network of which we are also members. His projected strewn field was considerably more constrained than the area indicated by NASA’s maps although both models largely overlapped in terms of the predicted trajectory and meteorite fall zone.

Already on the first day of the search we encountered significant logistical and field-related difficulties. Some local residents did not permit even short-term searching in parking areas or adjacent properties. Additional difficulties were caused by extremely unfavorable weather conditions. Frequent and intense rainfall persisted throughout much of the expedition leaving many fields completely waterlogged. In some places mud and standing water reached ankle depth making movement across the terrain extremely difficult and significantly reducing the efficiency of the search efforts. As time went on it also became clear that a substantial portion of the meteorites had fallen onto private properties that were either inaccessible or heavily restricted. In many cases despite polite conversations with landowners we received firm refusals when asking permission to search fields meadows or pastures.

Although people were generally courteous during this expedition there was a noticeable distance toward meteorite hunters. In practice this meant that a large part of the most promising search area remained inaccessible. Despite these challenges several landowners granted us permission to conduct searches on their properties allowing us to systematically investigate ed fields and meadows. Approximately two-thirds of the entire expedition was devoted to the area containing the smallest predicted masses and it was there that we achieved our best results.

In total we recovered 19 meteorite specimens ranging in mass 1 g to 13.7 g. Although we did not succeed in finding a larger individual specimen we still consider the expedition highly successful as the total recovered mass amounted to 63.5 g. Among the recovered material were several exceptionally beautiful and highly characteristic “spiny specimens displaying remarkable surface textures typical of the Wadsworth fall.

An additional unforget aspect of the expedition was the opportunity to meet many outstanding meteorite hunters all over the world who traveled to Ohio in search of fragments this remarkable fall. A strong group of our friends and fellow meteorite hunters Poland was also present in the field and we had the pleasure of searching together with them for several days. The exchange of experiences information and shared enthusiasm for meteorites made the expedition especially memorable and enjoyable.

Despite the difficult weather conditions and several challenges we encountered with local landowners who did not allow access to their fields the expedition remained an incredible adventure. The excitement of searching for freshly fallen meteorites the opportunity to be there in person and the chance to share our passion together with friends around the world made the entire experience truly unique and unforget.

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Wadsworth is a rare HED meteorite that fell in Ohio in USA on 17 March 2026

Wadsworth is a rare HED meteorite
that fell in Ohio in USA on 17 March 2026