# Anyone in Indiana? Chances are good you had a rain of rocks near you today **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 11, 2024, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-in-indiana-chances-are-good-you-had-a-rain-of-rocks-near-you-today/1011468 "2024-12-11T00:39:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2024, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-in-indiana-chances-are-good-you-had-a-rain-of-rocks-near-you-today/1011468/1 "2024-12-11T00:39:02Z")
Doppler radar is actually pretty useful for seeing falling meteorite debris as easily as it can see rain or hail. Looks like there are rocks on the ground. [https://ares.jsc.nasa.gov/meteorite-falls/](https://ares.jsc.nasa.gov/meteorite-falls/) (The last good radar hit for a fall in the US was in Western North Carolina in extremely challenging land for searching. In the exact area that a month later was massively flooded by Helene. Nobody’s ever seeing any of that one.) ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2024, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-in-indiana-chances-are-good-you-had-a-rain-of-rocks-near-you-today/1011468/2 "2024-12-21T19:08:32Z")
An update for the obvious huge interest in this thread, the first piece has been found (by a FB friend of mine). [![](https://i.imgur.com/onYk9X7.jpeg) ](https://i.imgur.com/onYk9X7.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2024, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-in-indiana-chances-are-good-you-had-a-rain-of-rocks-near-you-today/1011468/3 "2024-12-21T19:17:31Z")
So the two of you are Larry and Darryl? [![](https://s2.dmcdn.net/v/LuU1r1ROXmfxe2YKS/x1080) ](https://s2.dmcdn.net/v/LuU1r1ROXmfxe2YKS/x1080) ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2024, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-in-indiana-chances-are-good-you-had-a-rain-of-rocks-near-you-today/1011468/4 "2024-12-21T19:27:47Z")
Too bad there wasn’t snow on the ground before the meteorite fall. It would have made it easier to find the pieces. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2024, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-in-indiana-chances-are-good-you-had-a-rain-of-rocks-near-you-today/1011468/5 "2024-12-21T19:33:27Z")
At first I wondered why you thought that, but then realized you meant the black showing up against the white. So light snow would be helpful. Heavier snow, not so much (it would sink). ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2024, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-in-indiana-chances-are-good-you-had-a-rain-of-rocks-near-you-today/1011468/6 "2024-12-23T02:46:55Z")
Another of my FB friends has posted their haul. 8 days of walking staring at the ground resulted in one 6.3 gram fragment. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2025, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-in-indiana-chances-are-good-you-had-a-rain-of-rocks-near-you-today/1011468/7 "2025-02-01T01:20:17Z")
So the largest individual piece found for this fall turned out to be 47 kilograms. Here is Facebook video of it as it is currently on display at the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show. (Also on display and in the video, a group of Martians recently found in Arizona.) > **[4.6K views · 240 reactions | Robert Wad’s incredible 100+ pound main mass of...](https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1Ejstrf1JH/?mibextid=jmPrMh)** > > Robert Wad’s incredible 100+ pound main mass of the Indy fall AND a new USA Martian! > > (Excuse the audio) ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2025, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-in-indiana-chances-are-good-you-had-a-rain-of-rocks-near-you-today/1011468/8 "2025-02-01T02:48:23Z")
I didn’t know people did this (walk around looking for a particular recent meteorite, or parts of it). It’s the sort of thing I _should_ know. Thanks to the OP for this thread – very cool! ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2025, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-in-indiana-chances-are-good-you-had-a-rain-of-rocks-near-you-today/1011468/9 "2025-02-01T03:32:00Z")
There are a number of people who do it professionally. Jet around the country or the world to search for new falls whenever and wherever they happen. The guy in the video (Robert Ward, not Wad) is one of the top hunters. It can be an Indiana Jones-like lifestyle. For instance, in 2010, Ward, along with Mike Farmer, ended up spending three months in a prison in Oman. (Farmer is a lot more outspoken and probably more globetrottery than Ward.) > **[Meteorite hunter: My two months in an Omani jail](https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg21128190-200-meteorite-hunter-my-two-months-in-an-omani-jail/)** > > Michael Farmer tells the tale of his quest for extraterrestrial geology and how it landed him in prison, and explains why he eats bits of the moon and Mars > **[How Michael Farmer made a fortune from space rocks](https://moneyweek.com/116323/profile-of-michael-farmer-62938)** > > Michael Farmer is willing to risk foreign jails, muggings - even his own life - for small but precious fragments of the moon. > **[Michael Farmer: my life as a meteorite hunter](https://www.christies.com/en/stories/michael-farmer-my-life-as-a-meteorite-hunter-454f640742ae427eb79eb5b3081d3fd2)** > > Over the course of 30 years Michael Farmer has pursued fallen meteorites around the globe, encountering many dangers along the way Both are walking in the footsteps of another larger than life guy named Robert Haag > **[Meteorite Man Seeks Life in Cosmic Rocks](https://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=4949614&page=1)** > > A real-life Indiana Jones globe hops in search of the Holy Grail of meteorites. > **[Profile of a meteorite hunter | Astronomy.com](https://www.astronomy.com/science/profile-of-a-meteorite-hunter/)** > > categories:Science | tags:Magazine (He once had an article about him in National Geographic, but it isn’t available online.) [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/pTHXhwojSfA/hqdefault.jpg "Robert Haag, The Meteorite Man") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTHXhwojSfA) Haag also had a legendary encounter with authorities: [https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/19900217/1056570/meteorite-man-flies-home----brush-with-37-ton-beauty-started-the-sparks-flying](https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/19900217/1056570/meteorite-man-flies-home----brush-with-37-ton-beauty-started-the-sparks-flying) ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2025, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-in-indiana-chances-are-good-you-had-a-rain-of-rocks-near-you-today/1011468/10 "2025-02-01T03:44:14Z")
Here’s a pretty extensive report about searching for the famous Chelyabinsk fall: > **[Chelyabinsk Superbolide – Meteorite Recon](https://www.meteorite-recon.com/home/meteorite-documentaries/chelyabinsk-superbolide)** > > On February 15, shortly after 09:20 YEKT (Yekaterinburg Time), a bright, exploding meteor occurred over the Chelyabinsk oblast. The airburst of the fireball produced a shockwave that hit the city center of Chelyabinsk 1 minute and 24 seconds after... ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2025, 11:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-in-indiana-chances-are-good-you-had-a-rain-of-rocks-near-you-today/1011468/11 "2025-02-01T11:08:19Z")
Wow. I’ll absorb these slowly. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2025, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-in-indiana-chances-are-good-you-had-a-rain-of-rocks-near-you-today/1011468/12 "2025-02-01T19:24:56Z")
Funny story. After a meteorite fall in Costa Rica > **[Rare meteorite could shed light on Earth's water](https://www.astronomy.com/science/rare-meteorites-found-in-costa-rica-could-shed-light-on-earths-water/)** > > A rare, washing-machine-sized meteor that broke up over Earth last month is expected to provide ample data on the history of water in the solar system. > **[This Weird Meteorite Crashed Through a Doghouse in Costa Rica. (The Dog's Fine)](https://www.space.com/clay-meteorite-that-fell-through-doghouse-recovered.html)** > > A "ruff" wake-up call for Rocky. Mike Farmer liked the country so much that he bought some land and started building a home there. He posts lots of wildlife photos and video from there on Facebook and one post about a beetle went viral. And keeps showing up over and over two years after it happened. So after all the world-traveling adventures literally worthy of a movie or two, his claim to fame is a shiny bug. > **[Man Finds An Incredible Beetle Who's Almost Too Stunning To Be Real](https://www.thedodo.com/daily-dodo/man-finds-an-incredible-beetle-whos-almost-too-stunning-to-be-real)** > > He couldn't believe his eyes. Which makes it an example of the Bacon Cat Law of Internet Popularity. > **[The Bacon Cat Law of Internet Popularity](http://corabuhlert.com/2011/07/12/the-bacon-cat-law-of-internet-popularity/)** > > I had a different post drafted for today. A serious post about German literature, linguistics and unusual narrative perspectives inspired by the awarding of the Ingeborg Bachmann Prize yesterday. B… ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2025, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-in-indiana-chances-are-good-you-had-a-rain-of-rocks-near-you-today/1011468/13 "2025-02-02T02:17:24Z")
Bacon Cat Law – ha! And, that beetle is amazing. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2025, 10:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-in-indiana-chances-are-good-you-had-a-rain-of-rocks-near-you-today/1011468/14 "2025-02-04T10:17:08Z")
> [@JKellyMap](#): > > Wow. I’ll absorb these slowly. Here’s a brand new, long article > **[‘It was very hard to contain the emotions’: on the road with the meteorite...](https://www.theguardian.com/news/2025/feb/04/it-was-very-hard-to-contain-the-emotions-on-the-road-with-the-meteorite-hunters)** > > Meteorite falls are extremely rare events that may offer a glimpse of the processes that formed our own world. When a space rock does come to town, a team of amateur sky-watchers are not far behind The article describes the driveway shattered piece of Winchcombe but doesn’t show the famous photo: [![](https://www.winchcombe.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/splat-scaled.jpg) ](https://www.winchcombe.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/splat-scaled.jpg) (I was reminded of that by the recent fall in Canada that was caught on video as it powdered itself on a walkway.) ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2025, 10:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-in-indiana-chances-are-good-you-had-a-rain-of-rocks-near-you-today/1011468/15 "2025-07-03T10:38:12Z")
> [@JKellyMap](#): > > I didn’t know people did this (walk around looking for a particular recent meteorite, or parts of it). It’s the sort of thing I _should_ know. Thanks to the OP for this thread – very cool! An article about the latest hunt, in Georgia. > **[Meet the meteorite hunters chasing space rocks that can fetch US$400 a gram](https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3316361/meet-meteorite-hunters-chasing-space-rocks-can-fetch-us400-gram)** > > Meteorite hunters flocked to Georgia last week after a meteor disintegrated over the US state, but not everyone is in it for the money. No photos, though. Here’s one > **[Meteorite seen in the Georgia skies is now being studied by a North Georgia...](https://accesswdun.com/article/2025/7/1292520/meteorite-seen-in-the-georgia-skies-is-now-being-studied-by-a-north-georgia-museum)** This one fell less than a hundred miles from me, the fireball would have been visible from my house, if I was standing outside at the time and there were no trees in the way. Many other people did see it, though. (This will not be the latest search much longer, a couple of hours ago there was a big meteor in Scotland a couple of hours ago that almost certainly put rocks on the ground.) ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2025, 11:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-in-indiana-chances-are-good-you-had-a-rain-of-rocks-near-you-today/1011468/16 "2025-07-03T11:13:31Z")
Very cool. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2025, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-in-indiana-chances-are-good-you-had-a-rain-of-rocks-near-you-today/1011468/17 "2025-07-03T12:54:08Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > The article describes the driveway shattered piece of Winchcombe but doesn’t show the famous photo: I’m not a meteor-ist (what is the word? “Meteorologist” is already claimed), but I’m guessing that in a situation like that, the best data would come from preserving the impact site as best as possible, and letting the meteor-ist come in to collect it, because there’s probably useful information in precisely which grains of powder are where, that the typical layman, or even educated scientist in a different field, wouldn’t know to collect. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2025, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-in-indiana-chances-are-good-you-had-a-rain-of-rocks-near-you-today/1011468/18 "2025-07-03T13:14:58Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > what is the word? Meteoriticist. ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2025, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-in-indiana-chances-are-good-you-had-a-rain-of-rocks-near-you-today/1011468/19 "2025-07-03T13:53:08Z")
Cool. But **[bolidist](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bolide)** would be even cooler. [**Fireballer**](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meteor#Fireball) would be great too. So many missed chances! Reminds me that I wanted to start **[micrometeorite hunting](https://www.popsci.com/hunt-micrometeorites/)**. ---
**Author:** ![Galactus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/galactus/32/3581_2.png) [@Galactus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Galactus)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2025, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-in-indiana-chances-are-good-you-had-a-rain-of-rocks-near-you-today/1011468/20 "2025-07-03T14:12:43Z")
Spacerocktoligist? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-in-indiana-chances-are-good-you-had-a-rain-of-rocks-near-you-today/1011468.md?page=2)