Next meeting:  June 20, 2026, 5:30 pm

Speaker:    R. Scott Harris
Planetary Geologist
University of Georgia

When Stars Fell on Georgia: From the 810 Ma Roosevelt Impact Structure to the 2025 McDonough Meteorite

Many people across the Metro Atlanta area witnessed the fireball last June that produced the McDonough meteorite. One piece penetrated a house likely in excess of 800 meters per second. But this is only the latest of many cosmic collisions for which there is evidence in the geology of Georgia. In recognition of the anniversary of the McDonough fall and International Asteroid Day, we will look at the entire record of hypervelocity impacts that is preserved in the geology of Georgia and nearby areas. This will include the Chesapeake Bay and Chicxulub impacts and the approximately 810-million-year-old Roosevelt impact structure for which there is now abundant evidence covers a broad region of Georgia. This impact may be associated with a bombardment of the Earth-Moon system that produced Copernicus and many other large lunar craters as well as major extinction of cyanobacteria on Earth.

Scott Harris is a visiting research scientist, planetary geologist, and impact petrologist at University of Georgia. He also is an award-winning K-12 educator (2020 Georgia Earth Science Teacher of the Year) and public science communicator. He is the president of the Atlanta Geological Society and is involved in many other professional organizations. Scott is widely published and has given presentations internationally and locally (including coordinating the solar observing for DragonCon).

Monthly meeting location:

Meetings for the Atlanta Astronomy Club are held at:

The historic cottage, in the Lost Corner Preserve

7300 Brandon Mill Rd NW
Sandy Springs, GA 30328

Google Maps link to Lost Cottage

Free parking onsite!