Topic: Meteor in Upper midwest

[chief-david]

I missed it.

http://www.startribune.com/local/90929759.html?elr=KArksLckD8EQDUoaEyqyP4O:DW3ckUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUycaEacyU

A meteor (as far as anyone knows) provided a brilliant and entertaining light show across the Upper Midwest Wednesday night.

By BOB VON STERNBERG, Star Tribune

A meteor (as far as anyone knows) provided a brilliant and entertaining light show across the Upper Midwest Wednesday night.

Just after 10 p.m., 911 call centers began to light up across at least six states, including Minnesota, as a bright light flashed across the sky from west to east.

The National Weather Service confirmed countless anecdotal accounts of the meteor late Wednesday, reporting that "a fireball or very bright meteor was observed streaking across the sky. The fireball was seen over the northern sky, moving from west to east. Well before it reached the horizon, it broke up into smaller pieces and was lost from sight."

In Davenport, Iowa, Weather service meteorologist Mike Zenner said staff members "could see it from the office and saw the explosion as it came down. You could see the smoke trail over by Dubuque.

"The sonic boom was really loud, lasted at least 30 seconds. It looked like it was coming out of southern Minnesota, heading to the east or southeast."

According to the weather service, it was seen across Minnesota, Iowa, northern Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, and southern Wisconsin.

According to the weather service, the sighting coincided with a meteor shower that is currently underway.

The shower, called "Gamma Virginids," began on April 4 and is expected to last through April 21, with the peak activity occurring Wednesday and Thursday.

The weather service also reported: "Several reports of a prolonged sonic boom were received ... along with shaking of homes, trees and various other objects including wind chimes. As of late Wednesday evening, it is unknown whether any portion of this meteorite hit the ground."

Two videos captured the meteor's bright light and what looks like an explosion, as the meteor broke apart.

This video was shot by a dashboard camera in the car of a Howard County Iowa Sheriff's deputy.

This video is from a rooftop webcam at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

[Downlinerz2]

   Darn, wish I could have seen that!!!  I have attached pictures from a roof in Wisconsin and a weather radar in LaCrosse.  The first pic shows the meteor lighting up the sky showing plane contrails.  The weather radar in LaCrosse is from storm relative motion.
Go to www.Spaceweather.com to find more.

[Aardvark]

this would explain the comment about the time "is that thunder?"  I said "DUH"

I wonder if any of the fragments hit the ground

[SlowModem]

I wonder if any of the fragments hit the ground

I wondered that myself.  I'll bet those guys from that tv show are up there looking for it now.

[chief-david]

I wonder if any of the fragments hit the ground

I wondered that myself.  I'll bet those guys from that tv show are up there looking for it now.


It caught a forest area on fire.  Maybe they can find it there

[Downlinerz2]

   The link below is to a TV station in Wisconsin that has a video of the meteor.  I also read that this meteor was not a member of the Gamma Virginid meteor shower that is taking place at this time.  It's tracjectory and timing were not right  Also, on Spaceweather.com they say that there would be fragments that reached the ground along the debris trail which is given by the radar image in my earlier post.

http://www.wisn.com/video/23158086/index.html

   This second link is to a video from a sheriffs dashcam.
http://www.kcrg.com/younews/90918474.html