NASA Estimates Meteorite Locations After Houston Fireball

Space agency provides map of potential meteorite landing zones after meteor sighting.

Mar. 22, 2026 at 3:58pm

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According to NASA, a meteor broke through Earth's atmosphere and was seen falling over Texas on Saturday. The space agency has released a map showing a simplified estimate of where meteorites may have landed, with darker shaded areas indicating where larger objects may have fallen. The potential meteorite strewn field extends over 12 miles in north Houston, from the Louetta area north to Spring.

Why it matters

The NASA map provides valuable information to residents in the Houston area about where meteorites may have landed following the meteor sighting. This can help local authorities and the public be aware of potential hazards and recovery efforts for any meteorite fragments.

The details

NASA's planetary scientist Dr. Marc Fries, who manages the agency's webpage about meteorite falls, estimated that a roughly one-ton meteoroid spanning about 3 feet across created the fireball seen by over 100 eyewitnesses in the sky from northwest Houston to Austin. The fireball released an energy equivalent to 26 tons of TNT, but most of the mass was reduced to atoms and fine droplets during the event, with only a few percent of the total mass surviving to reach the ground as scattered meteorites.

  • The meteor was seen falling over Texas on Saturday, March 22, 2026.

The players

NASA

The United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration, a federal government agency responsible for the civilian space program, as well as aeronautics and space research.

Dr. Marc Fries

A planetary scientist who manages NASA's webpage about meteorite falls.

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What they’re saying

“Most of the mass of an object like this is reduced to atoms and fine droplets during the fireball and only a few percent of the total mass survives to reach the ground, scattered across a range of meteorite sizes.”

— NASA

What’s next

NASA may update the map on its website as more information becomes available about the potential meteorite landing locations.

The takeaway

The NASA map provides valuable guidance to Houston-area residents about where meteorites may have landed following the meteor sighting, helping to raise awareness of potential hazards and recovery efforts for any meteorite fragments in the region.