Fire in the SkyS


Meteor

Update: Meteorites found in southwestern Wisconsin

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© John ValleyFragment of a meteorite from a meteor that blasted a debris field over a mile in length
Soaring meteor lights up skies across the Midwest.

Scientists say an apparent fragment from a meteor that lit up Midwestern skies this week has been recovered in southwestern Wisconsin.

The fragment weighs 0.3 pounds and is about the size of an unshelled peanut. The meteor had streaked across the sky about 10 p.m. Wednesday and was visible from southern Wisconsin and northern Iowa to central Missouri.

University of Wisconsin geology professor John Valley says fragment has a so-called fusion crust. The paper-thin blackened coating results when a meteor superheats as it speeds through the atmosphere.

Valley says the man who found the fragment lent it to university scientists for a two-hour analysis.

Based on preliminary tests, the meteor appears to have come from the vast asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.

Comment: HUGE fireball turns sky bright green over southern Wisconsin, starts 9 fires along 1-mile stretch


Meteor

England: Did couple see a green fireball falling from the sky over Epping?

Posted: April 17, 2010

Location of Sighting: Epping, Essex CM16
Date of Sighting: Friday 16 April 2010
Time: 2302

Witness Statement: We were driving South through the town and as we were passing Tower Road we both saw a bright green light dropping very fast out of the sky from about 500 feet.

It was about half a mile ahead of us and to the West of the High Road.

Meteor

Best of the Web: HUGE fireball turns sky bright green over southern Wisconsin, starts 9 fires along 1-mile stretch


Many area residents reported a possible meteor flying across the sky over southern Wisconsin on Wednesday night.

Authorities were flooded with curious callers after a meteor streaking across the Midwestern sky looked like a huge fireball. National Weather Service offices in La Crosse, Wis., Des Moines, Iowa, and Kansas City, Mo., received numerous reports of the fireball from law enforcement officials and the public.

The flash of light in the sky was reported just after 10 p.m. People from Iowa to Ohio have apparently reported seeing a fireball.

Meteor

US: Fireball Pictures from Brilliant Mid Air Explosion

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© University of Wisconsin - AOS/SSECThe meteor was bright green at first, and the sky was almost blue for a few seconds. The meteor then broke into several pieces and glowed orange as it faded away. Was visible for 10-15 seconds. The loop shows a plane going by, then the fireball that illuminates the contrail of that plane (and another from a previous plane that is not visible) The pictures were taken at 10PM CDT on April 14, 2010 (03 UTC April 15, 2010)
Last night, around 10:05 pm CDT, sky watchers in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois and Missouri witnessed a brilliant green fireball streaking across the sky. Images from a rooftop webcam in Madison, Wisconsin, show a brilliant midair explosion.

The fireball was caused by a small asteroid hitting Earth's atmosphere at a shallow angle. Preliminary infrasound measurements place the energy of the blast at 20 tons of TNT (0.02 kton), with considerable uncertainty. Bill Cooke of NASA's Meteoroid Environment Office estimates that the space rock was about 1 meter wide and massed some 1260 kg. "Fireballs of this size are surprisingly common," he notes. "They hit Earth about 14 times a month, on average, although most go unnoticed because they appear during the day or over unpopulated areas."

Meteor

US: Two witnesses saw a 'fireball' falling, split into 2, then 5 and fly off, then a second one did the same

Occurred: 2/28/2010 18:40 (Entered as : 02/28/2010 18:40)
Reported: 2/28/2010 7:54:17 PM 19:54
Posted: 4/13/2010
Location: Homestead/Redlands/Everglades, Florida
Shape: Other
Duration: 10 minutes

Two large fireballs fall from the sky and split into 10 traveling orbs.

My friend and I were driving home from work and noticed what we thought was a large meteor falling from the sky. The meteor was falling for a much longer duration and was significantly larger that I was accustomed to seeing. It looked like a burning fireball traveling at a high speed. It kept falling and then split into two smaller burning fireballs and continued to fall. Well before it hit the ground each meteor split into two orbs or lights (thus four total) and each light turned and traveled horizontal to the ground. They were no longer falling. We then noticed a fifth and all five were traveling at different speeds to the west. We watched them fly for several minutes until they got so far we could no longer see them. They did not fly in any formation and appeared to be traveling at different speeds and altitudes.

Meteor

Sonic boom accompanies fireball in sky over Wisconsin

National Weather Service says it appears a meteorite lit up the sky over southwest Wisconsin Wednesday night


Meteor

Large Meteor Sighting over West Michigan

Meteor
© UW-Madison AOS/SSECMeteor at 11:03 pm EDT
A large meteor sighting occurred over West Michigan late Wednesday evening. Calls to the WZZM 13 Information Center started around 11:10 pm with the first report of a large 'fireball' near Rothbury in Oceana Co. Numerous viewers from Grant, Muskegon and Grand Rapids called in with similar information of a 'meteor' streaking across the sky from northwest to southeast.

Video courtesy of University of Wisconsin: Click here.

Video courtesy of Howard Co. Wisconsin Sheriff Deputy Tim Beckman: Click here.

National Weather Service offices across the Midwest reported the same siting from Des Moines and Davenport IA, outside of Kansas City MO, and in Portage, Milwaukee, Rock and Winnebago (WI) counties.

The meteor could be part of the Gamma Virginids meteor shower which started on April 4 and lasts through April 21, with the peak expected around April 14 or 15.

Fireball Fan Page on Facebook: Click here.

Meteor

US: Dozens See Fireball In The Sky

Milwaukee -- Dozens of viewers called 12 News to report a huge fireball in the sky Wednesday night.

The flash of light in the sky was reported just after 10 p.m.

Viewers reported seeing all sorts of colors and one big blast followed by several smaller blasts.

WISN Chief Meteorologist Mark Baden said people from as far away as Iowa and Ohio saw the fireball which was likely a meteor.

"A meteor is a rock, hurdling through space, as it hits our atmosphere it becomes super heated because of friction and this would normally cause the rock to explode and that would create the big flash, visible for hundreds of miles," Baden said.

"A meteor of this size is pretty unusual," Baden added.

Local police departments fielded dozens of phone calls. Dispatchers from Muskego, New Berlin and Waukesha told 12 News they searched for a possible impact site but didn't find one.

If you happened to capture the meteor on camera, we would like to see it.

Please email your picture to wisntvnews@hearst.com.

Meteor

US: Madison Meteor?

Something it up the sky in the Madison area Wednesday night, the question is - what was it?

Dozens of people called the 27 Newsroom shortly after 10:00 PM to report a bright light in the sky. Calls came in from all over south central Wisconsin, and from as far away as St. Louis.

Sharon Wisniewski, spokesperson for the Dane County Regional Airport, confirms pilots on two aircrafts witnessed what looked like a bright meteor in the sky. They believe it burned out. One pilot was flying a helicopter, the other a plane.

Ken in Madison said the sky "Lit up just like daylight" and then it was gone.

Tara in Oregon told us she saw a bright green light come from the west before disappearing in the southeast.

Rhonda in Fitchburg said something lit up the large windows in her home, and within moments, it was gone.

Cheryl in Dodgeville says she saw a bright flash of light and then her house rumbled.

Callers in Livingston and Clyde Township claim they not only saw the light, they felt an impact.

People in as far away as Westfield report seeing the light, and questioned whether it was a plane in trouble.

27 News Chief Meteorologist Bob Lindmeier says it is possible a large meteor passed through the area, but it's hard to know exactly what caused the bright light. "Most meteors never reach the ground." He said. "They typically disintegrate in the atmosphere." Lindmeier says the disintegration could cause a rumbling sound.

If you have pictures or video of the whatever it was that lit up the sky, please call or email the 27 Newsroom.

(608) 273-2727 or news@wkowtv.com

Meteor

US: "Giant Fireball" Lights up the Night Sky

Cedar Rapids - If you were outside enjoying the weather Wednesday night, you might have spotted a cosmic light show streak across the Iowa sky.

The meteor burning through the atmosphere appeared to be a "giant fireball" and reports have been coming into the KCRG-TV9 newsroom from viewers across Eastern Iowa, southwest Wisconsin and northwest Illinois.

KCRG-TV9 First Alert Storm Team Meteorologist Justin Gehrts said that falling stars like this are quite common and that they're nothing to worry over.

Comment: Nothing to see here folks! Just a giant fireball heading your way! And don't mind if it explodes at ground level and starts fires!