In the first three months of 2026, an unusual concentration of bright fireball events was reported across the United States. Then, within a single week in March, at least six significant meteors blazed over Ohio, Texas, California, Oregon, Michigan, and the Southwest, drawing widespread public attention and coverage from NASA and the American Meteor Society.

Most fireballs are small asteroids or cometary debris burning up in Earth’s atmosphere, and the AMS logs thousands of fireballs annually. But the frequency, geographic spread, and intensity of these March sightings are hard to dismiss. One scattered meteorites on the ground. Another punched through the roof of a home . Several produced sonic booms.

What makes the March fireball sightings especially striking:

• Frequency: At least six significant fireball events occurred within a seven-day window in March 2026 — an unusually tight cluster by historical AMS standards.

• Energy: The March 17 Ohio event released energy equivalent to 250 tons of TNT . The March 21 Texas event released the equivalent of 26 tons. Both triggered sonic booms heard across multiple states .

• Daytime visibility: The Ohio fireball on March 17 was visible in broad daylight — a rare occurrence. Daytime fireballs bright enough to be photographed from orbit are exceptionally uncommon.

• Meteorite fall confirmed: The Texas event on March 21 produced at least one confirmed meteorite impact, with a fragment penetrating the roof of a residence in Ponderosa Forest, north of Houston.

• Color and chemistry: Multiple events produced vivid green fireballs, consistent with magnesium-rich composition. The Portland and Detroit events on March 23 were each described independently by hundreds of witnesses as bright green — though the two events occurred hours apart and are believed to be unrelated.

• Global activity: A separate fireball event over Wellington, New Zealand on January 30 displayed an unusually high velocity of ~71 km/s with three distinct visible detonations — prompting Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb to publicly assess whether it could be interstellar in origin. He concluded it was not, but the episode illustrated the level of scientific scrutiny these events are drawing.

The American Meteor Society published an analysis of this fireball activity. In Q1 2026 the AMS logged 2,046 total fireball events, the highest on record. But the more significant finding is in the large-event tier: fireballs with 50 or more witness reports numbered 38, more than double of the historical average of 18. Events with 100 or more reports reached 14, twice the historical average of 7. In March alone, the average witness count per event was 142.7 — nearly three times the next-highest March on record. The AMS calls it "the hallmark of a genuine physical change in the incoming material," indicating the rocks themselves appear to be getting larger, not just better documented.

Below you'll find a timeline of sightings that have gained traction in March. If you captured footage of a fireball and want it included in this Collection, submit your sighting on our free mobile apps or website.