© Google maps/AMS (screen capture)
The American Meteor Society (AMS) received 145 reports about a fireball seen over OH, IL, WI, MI, IN, IA, PA and Ontario on Sunday, January 8th 2017 around 11:15 UT.
Dave Behnke wasn't prepared for what he saw in the sky before dawn on Sunday.
Neither was his dog, Harvey, who had insisted they go outside at such an early hour to begin with.
"He started barking, looking up and going crazy," said Behnke, who lives in Lansing Township. "I said, 'what the hell?' And then he started cowering. I looked up, and I was thinking, 'did I just see something or not?'"
The object was "about the size of a VW wagon," Behnke said. It was changing colors and moving from north to south. He thought it was only about 100 feet above the trees.
What they saw was a bright meteor known as a fireball. And lots of other people saw it, too.
The American Meteor Society received 145 reports of a fireball seen over seven states and Ontario, Canada around 6:15 a.m. Sunday. Observers from all over southern Michigan, including East Lansing, Laingsburg, Charlotte and Webberville, logged sightings on the AMS website.
"I was on my way to work when I saw what I initially thought was a low flying plane behind a tree," an East Lansing resident wrote. "However, when I moved past the tree I saw the object.
It was very bright and seemed to be very close."
Comment: Of the 145 reports received by the American Meteorological Society of a fireball over OH, IL, WI, MI, IN, IA, PA and Ontario on Sunday, January 8th 2017 around 11:15 UT, dozens of reports were from Ohio, where unexplained explosions and fire damage affected several homes.