Many eyewitnesses in the states of Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia have filed reports on the American Meteor Society website of a bright fireball seen on the night of March 26 at 8:52 PM Eastern Daylight Time (2026 March 27 00:52:26 UTC). An analysis of this information, combined with data from publicly accessible cameras in the region, indicates that the meteor became visible 53 miles above the Ohio community of Dart, located east of Marietta. Moving northwest at 52,000 miles per hour, it traveled 50 miles through the upper atmosphere before disintegrating 34 miles above Zanesville. This fireball was not associated with any meteor shower.
We thank the American Meteor Society for providing the eyewitness accounts.
| Event ID | 20260327-005226 |
| Date (UTC) | March 27, 2026 |
| Time (UTC) | 00:52:26 |
| AMS Event | 2172-2026 |
| Chicken Little Start Lat/Lon | +39.500, -81.281 |
| Chicken Little End Lat/Lon | +39.913, -81.956 |
| Chicken Little Altitude | 85.6 km → 55.5 km ( 53.2 miles→ 34.5 miles) |
| Chicken Little Speed | 23.2 km/s (52,000 mph) |