“Fireball” Seen Across The Midwestern Sky Including IN & IL

I consider myself to be an avid skywatcher. I love getting away from the light pollution of the city and just gazing up into the night sky. There is something about it that makes me feel like me, and my worries, are really very small in the grand scheme of the universe and I find that comforting. In my sky watching, I have never seen anything like what was spotted over the midwest this morning.

More than 130 Reported Sightings

More than 130 people have reported seeing a "fireball" shooting across the sky around 6:47 am Thursday, January 20, 2022, according to the American Meteor Society.

There are actually a number of meteor showers active this week including January xi Ursae Majorids, eta Corvids, gamma Ursae Minorids, and xi Coronae Borealids, just to name a few.

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Seen In Nine States

The meteor seen in the early morning hours was quite a sight and was reported by people across nine states including Indiana and Illinois as well as Wisconsin, Michigan, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, and Nebraska.

It Looked Like a Fireball Blazing Through the Sky

I don't know if you have ever seen a meteor shooting through the sky, but during the early morning hours, it looks very much like something you would see in a Sci-Fi moving when the aliens are attacking. It looks like a flying fireball!

Admittedly, I have personally never seen a meteor like this one before. I have seen meteor showers in the night sky where they look like nothing more than a shooting star. However, to see one burning brightly across the sky looking like a fireball is not something I have seen with my own eyes.

More Than Just a Shooting Star

Luckily, there was video captured from the roof of the Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences building at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In the video, shared to Twitter by Wisconsin meteorologist, Max Tsaparis.

More Video of the Meteor

Another video was shared by Mendota Today of the meteor streaking across Madison, Wisconsin.

The sighting reports are being logged by the American Meteor Society. If you witnessed the meteor, you can report your sighting here. Then keep scrolling to see some incredible astrophotography captured over Southern Illinois.

[Source: American Meteor Society]