Recent Meteors in Ohio, Michigan Yield Meteorite Treasures

Meteorite hunters find rare space rocks after recent meteor events in the Midwest

Mar. 27, 2026 at 10:05am

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Recent meteors over Ohio and Michigan have sparked interest in meteorite hunting, with some lucky individuals finding rare and valuable space rocks. A Michigan man found a prized meteorite from the St. Patrick's Day meteor event in Ohio, while another found a large meteorite in a field near Saginaw Bay in Michigan. Meteorite values can range from a few dollars to thousands per gram based on rarity and origin, with lunar and Martian meteorites being the most valuable.

Why it matters

Meteorites are scientifically valuable, providing insights into the formation of our solar system and the materials that make up asteroids and other celestial bodies. The recent meteor events have created opportunities for amateur meteorite hunters to potentially find rare and prized specimens, contributing to our understanding of these cosmic phenomena.

The details

After the March 17 meteor event over Lake Erie into northeast Ohio, Chris Cooper and his cousin Caleb Ahumada went searching in the area and found small meteorites, including a rare Eucrite type that originates from the asteroid Vesta. Just hours before leaving, Ahumada found an even larger 4.7-gram meteorite. The March 23 meteor over Saginaw Bay in Michigan was also a potential meteorite-dropper, though no confirmed finds have been reported yet. Meteorite hunter Jim Goodall has created a computer program to predict where meteorites may fall based on video data, and he shares those maps publicly to help others search.

  • The St. Patrick's Day meteor over Lake Erie into northeast Ohio occurred on March 17, 2026.
  • The meteors spotted over Saginaw Bay in Michigan happened on March 23, 2026, six days after the Ohio event.

The players

Chris Cooper

A Michigan man who founded the Great Lakes Rocks and Minerals Facebook group and has a passion for finding meteorites, including recovering small pieces from a 2018 meteor event in Hamburg Township.

Caleb Ahumada

Cooper's cousin, who joined him in searching for meteorites from the March 17 Ohio meteor and found an even larger specimen than Cooper's.

Jim Goodall

A former automotive engineer with General Motors who created a computer program to simulate and predict where meteorites may fall based on video data, and shares those maps publicly to help meteorite hunters.

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What they’re saying

“This is a really rare type. It was super-glassy and really sparkly. I mean, there was no second-guessing what this was.”

— Chris Cooper

“It's really exciting to see someone find their first meteorite.”

— Chris Cooper

“Meteorites are a really valuable material to both collectors and science. There is a limited amount of time when they fall that they are recoverable. So I think the more people we have looking for them, the better.”

— Jim Goodall

What’s next

Meteorite hunters will continue to search the areas around Medina County, Ohio and Saginaw Bay, Michigan for additional fragments from the recent meteor events. Experts will analyze any recovered meteorites to determine their composition and origin.

The takeaway

The recent meteor events in the Midwest have sparked renewed interest in meteorite hunting, with some lucky individuals finding rare and valuable space rocks. This highlights the scientific and collector value of these cosmic treasures, and the importance of having more people engaged in the search to advance our understanding of these phenomena.