RAW: Fireball from likely meteor lights up sky
(RNN) – People in southern Michigan reported a bright light in the night sky, with some reports of shaking buildings.
The fireball was seen in the skies, making a loud sound at about 8:15 p.m. Tuesday in the metro Detroit area, according to the Detroit Free Press.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the boom from the likely meteor registered a 2.0 in magnitude about 7 kilometers from Saint Clair Shores, MI.
The phenomenon was also seen across several states from Wisconsin to Ohio and up into southwestern Ontario, Canada, WOOD reported.
Images of the object were captured above Windsor, Ontario.
VIDEO: Meteor Breaks Up Over Windsor And Detroit Skies https://t.co/YoI46XeO0i pic.twitter.com/hHIohuLUrm
— windsoriteDOTca News (@windsoriteDOTca) January 17, 2018
The National Weather Service office in Detroit confirmed Tuesday night that the flash was likely a meteor.
“We continue to monitor feeds from astronomical agencies for official confirmation of a meteor,” the NWS said.
After reviewing several observational datasets, the NWS can confirm the flash and boom was NOT thunder or lightning, but instead a likely meteor. We continue to monitor feeds from astronomical agencies for official confirmation of a meteor. #miwx
— NWS Detroit (@NWSDetroit) January 17, 2018
NASA said a satellite that monitors lightning might have detected the fireball from the likely meteor.
The response to the possible meteor overwhelmed the site of the American Meteor Society.
The Geostationary Lightning Mapper aboard @NOAA‘s #GOES16 may have detected the #fireball that occurred over SE Michigan this evening (upper left corner of image). #meteor #GLM #miwx pic.twitter.com/0fgw0cZW34
— NASA SPoRT (@NASA_SPoRT) January 17, 2018
Ingham County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Managment asked the public in a Facebook post to quit calling 911 about what was likely a fireball from a meteor.
People took to social media to share what they saw.
Meteor flash over Ann Arbor pic.twitter.com/8lzQDtsXaw
— David Fry (@frydave) January 17, 2018
I got lucky tonight! @wwmtnews pic.twitter.com/yD2NWonUv6
— Zack Lawler (@z_lawler) January 17, 2018
A bright #fireball lit up the sky in southeastern Michigan earlier this evening. Some people heard a ‘boom’ as the meteor burned up in the Earth’s atmosphere (Video/@clipper377) pic.twitter.com/p4UG0Bz9Ix
— AccuWeatherAstronomy (@AccuAstronomy) January 17, 2018
Viewer sent this video of what’s being described as #meteor re-entry. A large flash and boom has been felt and seen from Michigan to Chicago. Latest tonight on @FOX2News 10&11 pic.twitter.com/6rXxGjQZlS
— Taryn Asher Fox 2 (@TarynAsherFox2) January 17, 2018
#Meteorite or #meteor over #Clarkston #Michigan tonight at 20:08:30 local time #science #astronomy @NASA @wxyzdetroit @Local4News @CNN pic.twitter.com/Zrq6NhcKPA
— Tim (@tflyer85) January 17, 2018
People also took the opportunity to poke a bit of humor at the astronomical event.
Somewhere in Detroit…c’mon Detroit, we need #MeteorMan. #Meteor pic.twitter.com/Na0J7KVrX8
— BusterBread (@choctawsmoke) January 17, 2018
Huge explosion in Michigan. Reports of possible meteor. Any one know where Kim Jung Un is tonight? #explosion #michigan #michiganexplosion #Meteorite pic.twitter.com/kCP80uhdpm
— Gary Shear (@shearcreativeus) January 17, 2018
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