On the afternoon of May 17, 2023, in Carbon County, Pennsylvania, an ordinary parked car became the landing site for an extraordinary visitor. At approximately 4:05 p.m. EDT, a meteorite crashed through the vehicle’s rear window, shattering safety glass and piercing the tinted film before coming to rest in a 1.5-quart container of Breyers Natural Vanilla Ice Cream. While police initially treated the incident as potential vandalism, security footage showed no suspects—only a smoky trail streaking across the sky from southwest to northeast.

With no clear explanation for the rock’s origin, the car’s owner began seeking expert analysis. The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission expressed interest, and further inquiries led to a team of geologists and meteorite specialists. Among them were Brown University scientists, including Professor Dan Ibarra and graduate student Riley Havel, who collaborated with the verification effort. Their expertise in geochemistry positioned them to help determine whether this rock was, in fact, an extraterrestrial visitor.

At Brown University’s Ibarra Lab, Ibarra, Havel, and visiting student Jiquan Chen prepared the sample for advanced isotopic analysis. Their primary focus was measuring the rock’s triple oxygen isotope composition—an essential method for distinguishing meteorites from terrestrial rocks. 

Unlike Earth rocks, meteorites contain oxygen isotope ratios that reflect their formation in space, often dating back to the early solar system. By conducting these precise measurements, the team could confirm that the rock was indeed a meteorite, now informally named the “Ice Cream Drop.” This work paves the way for official classification in the Meteoritical Bulletin, ensuring that the sample becomes part of the global scientific record.

Riley Havel emphasizes the importance of identifying meteorites from “meteor-wrongs,” stating, “Meteorites have unique scientific value and can be used to answer questions about our solar system in ways that many terrestrial rocks cannot.”

Beyond confirming its identity, studying meteorites like the Ice Cream Drop contributes to a broader understanding of planetary formation. Each meteorite holds clues about the conditions in the early solar system, helping scientists reconstruct how planets—including Earth—came to be. The Ibarra Lab’s analysis not only verified this unlikely interplanetary arrival, but also added another piece to the vast puzzle of our cosmic history. All from a single rock, chilling in a carton of vanilla ice cream!