Photos: Fireball Drops Meteorites On California

Daytime Fireball Seen Over Nevada on April 22, 2012

A meteor lights up the daytime sky above Reno, Nevada on April 22, 2012 in this amazing photo by skywatcher Lisa Warren. Scientists recovered fragments from the so-called Sutter's Mill meteorite in California after an intense search.

Sutter's Mill Meteorite Fragment

A close-up of the Sutter's Mill Meteorite, a fragment from a daytime fireball that exploded over parts of California and Nevada on April 22, 2012. This fragment was discovered in a horse pasture in outside of Lotus, Calif.

Map of Daytime Fireball over California & Nevada

The red bullseye indicates the location where a meteor exploded over California's Central Valley on April 22, 2012. The yellow triangles mark infrasound arrays, which were key in determining the location of the meteor's explosion.

Fragments of the Sutter’s Mill Meteorite

Fragments of the Sutter’s Mill meteorite fall collected by NASA Ames and SETI Institute meteor astronomer Dr. Peter Jenniskens in the evening of Tuesday April 24, two days after the fall. This was the second recovered find.

Meteorite Hunting from the Air

Dr. Peter Jenniskens takes a closer look at the image from the AVS Cineflex HiDEF camera mounted on the nose of the Eureka Airship. Mike Coop, can be seen in the background checking the map, further back other flight members continue to look for potential impact sites.

Sutter's Mill Meteorite Fragment

A close-up of the Sutter's Mill Meteorite, a fragment from a daytime fireball that exploded over parts of California and Nevada on April 22, 2012. This fragment was discovered in a horse pasture in outside of Lotus, Calif.

Collecting the Sutter’s Mill Meteorites

NASA Ames and SETI Institute meteor astronomer Dr. Peter Jenniskens collects the Sutter’s Mill meteorites using aluminum foil to not contaminate the stones by touch. April 24, 2012.

Sutter's Mill Meteorite: Peter Jenniskens

Peter Jenniskens, a meteor astronomer with the SETI Institute, describes the features of the Sutter's Mill Meteorite to a team of volunteers who helped find it in a horse pasture outside of Lotus, Calif. The meteorite is from a fireball that exploded over the region on April 22, 2012. Jenniskens led the search for the NASA Lunar Science Institute.

Sutter's Mill Meteorite Fragment: de Haas Family

The de Haas family of Lotus, Calif., donated the Sutter's Mill Meteorite to NASA for further study. The meteor is a fragment from a fireball over California and Nevada on April 22, 2012.

Daytime Fireball Over California & Nevada

This map shows where the fireball likely broke apart over California, according to signals captured using very low frequency sound.

Researchers Ride Zeppelin for Meteorite Hunt

NASA researchers Alan Ehrgott, Mike Koop, and Derek Sears wait to board the zeppelin Eureka for a meteorite hunt on May 3, 2012.