Echo Press reader Brian Alvstad posted this on the newspaper's Facebook page Wednesday: "Find out what the heck that meteor or asteroid or comet was that flew in the sky around 9:45 last night [Tuesday]...it was green and purple and you could tell when it broke through the atmosphere. Pretty much the coolest thing ever."
After hunting around on the Internet, the newspaper found a blog - lunarmeteoritehunters.blogspot - that included several sightings of a fireball or meteor from sky watchers across the Midwest on Tuesday night.
Here are just a few:
Huron, South Dakota: "At approximately 9:40 we saw a large fireball fall from the sky northwest of Huron. It lasted approximately five to seven seconds. Bright ball of fire with blue green tail."
Delano, Minnesota: "Tonight along Highway 12 heading west approaching Delano, I witnessed an orange fireball hurling towards the ground at a slant from the north at approximately 9:33 p.m. It hit ground in a corn field but was unable to see where exactly it landed."
Grand Forks, North Dakota: "Saw a bright green fireball in the south-southwest sky between 9:30 and 9:35 p.m. Description: Green ball of light...slightly above in brightness moving to the southeast."
Bismarck North Dakota: "Approximately 9:40, was driving and something flashed in the sky, looked up, and there was a VERY bright streak across the sky, mildly slow moving for a meteorite. It lit up the entire sky and land, and both me and my girlfriend were amazed by it...Very beautiful event, lasted a few seconds, colorful, and very bright - almost had a strobe like effect."
Shafer, Minnesota: "My Husband, daughter and I were driving westward on U.S. Highway 8 about one mile east of Shafer (near the Wisconsin border) at 9:38 p.m. We all saw a green/blue fireball with a short white tail about 45 degrees high in the sky, about 1:00 direction from our vehicle as we were heading due west. It was so large at first I thought it was a dud firework falling to the ground but I quickly realized it must have been a meteorite. It came down in an upper left toward the lower right trajectory, northward. I was driving so I had to watch the road, but my husband and daughter thought they saw a yellowish flash in the horizon behind the tree line/town, but we are unsure how far away it was. It was pretty amazing!"
Oakwood State Park, South Dakota: "We saw a huge fireball fall from the sky in the west. It was dark in the center surrounded by blue and orange. It lit up the sky and lasted about five to seven seconds."
Collegeville, Minnesota: "Around 9:30 p.m., I was coming home from St. Cloud and was near St. John's University or city of Collegeville and saw a bright green light fall from the sky and it went through the trees and appeared to hit the earth. Once it landed, there was like a shockwave of light, like lightning coming from the ground and spread out for a instant then went dark."
Arvilla, North Dakota: "On Tuesday, at about 9:40 p.m., I witnessed a bright green ball of light headed west just south of Arvilla. Easily as bright as the moon."
Saskatchewan, Canada: "At approximately 9:30 p.m. last night (Tuesday), I was heading south towards the town of Maryfield, Saskatchewan and saw a BRIGHT blue ball of fire with a long tail that lit up the sky that lasted for at least five seconds. Then before it hit the ground there was a large flash of white light like an explosion and it was gone."
Detroit Lakes, Minnesota: "Last night (Tuesday), I saw a blue light followed by a bright white light when it hit the ground...This was about 9:30 p.m. It was viewed to the southwest in the sky."
Beulah, North Dakota: "Several people, family and friends, reported to me they saw a blue flash of light while outdoors last night. It happened between 9:30 and 10 p.m. The sky was clear and sun was almost set. They described it as a blue flash of light that lit up the darkening outdoors as a stroke of lightning would."
Al Edenloff is a reporter at the Alexandria (Minn.) Echo Press, which is owned by Forum Communications Co.
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