On the morning of March 17, 2026, a bolide was observed streaking across Lake Erie toward northeastern Ohio. Sonic booms were heard in the Cleveland area, and doorbell cameras captured images of the event. Radar images showed signs of meteorites falling south of Cleveland. Beginning the next afternoon, several hundred small stones were found across Medina and Wayne counties, Ohio. In total, 1728 grams of meteorite material from this confirmed event are known to have been collected. One of the largest fragments, 24.2 grams, was found by Becky Horton in Wadsworth, Medina County, Ohio, and graciously donated to the Orton Geological Museum, where it serves as part of the "type specimen," the scientific reference specimen, for the meteorite. The meteorite was officially named the Wadsworth meteorite based on this find in Wadsworth.

The Wadsworth meteorite has been officially classified as a form of stony meteorite called an HED achondrite (eucrite, monomict). HED stands for howardite-eucrite-diogenite, in reference to the stone's mineral composition. Achondrites of this clan formed from differentiated igneous parent bodies and experienced igneous processing similar to what we know from magmatic rocks found on Earth. This meteorite is inferred to have been derived from an asteroid called 4 Vesta. The Orton Museum specimen was broken while in the atmosphere, and provides an excellent view of the interior. It is a monomict breccia composed of plagioclase feldspar, pyroxene, silica minerals, lithic clasts, and minor amounts of ilmenite and fluorapatite. On the surface of this meteorite is a distinctive, glassy, complex, black fusion crust. It has small, spine-like glassy spicules adhering to the surface and rollover lips. The fusion crust resulted from melting of the outer surface of the bolide while passing through Earth's atmosphere, and subsequent rapid solidification. 

The Wadsworth meteorite is one of 13 approved meteorites known from Ohio. One unapproved meteorite, plus the Serpent Mound impact crater, are further evidence of meteorite impacts in the state. The Orton Museum serves as a repository for many of the meteorites from Ohio, plus others from around the globe.