A bright, fiery flash of light was spotted in the cloudy skies above Indianapolis early Tuesday morning, treating some Hoosiers to a rare and wondrous celestial sight as it roared over the United States. Dozens of witnesses described hearing a powerful “explosion” as it left a glowing trail in its wake.
On Tuesday, the American Meteor Society received upwards of 30 eyewitness reports from people living in Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Missouri and Wisconsin who said they saw a fireball blaze at around 4 a.m. Tuesday.
Here’s what we know about what people saw.
What is a fireball? Is it different than a regular meteor?
A fireball, writes the International Meteor Organization, is a meteor that appears much brighter than normal. Fireballs are often larger that the millimeter-sized bits of stone, ice or metal that can enter Earth’s atmosphere and produce brief streaks of light in the sky. These smaller meteors are often seen during the Geminid meteor shower, which peaks this week in the northern hemisphere.
“The particles that cause the Geminid shower are usually very, very small — typically the size of a grain of sand, and occasionally up to the size of a pea,” said Dr. Aarran Shaw, who serves as director of Holcomb Observatory and teaches Physics and Astronomy at Butler University.
Shaw said the event witnessed Tuesday night and captured by doorbell cameras in the Midwest could very well have been a fireball, which can occasionally happen during meteor showers.
Fireball meteor caught on video above Central Indiana
Video of the fireball captured on doorbell cameras has since been shared on social media sites such as Reddit, X and BlueSky. Those who claim to have witnessed it firsthand described a burning object of intense blue and yellow that made a “sizzling, pulsing sound,” followed by a roaring “boom” as it coursed overhead.
“It sounded like an explosion,” wrote Keath R. in Indianapolis to the American Meteor Society, whose report echoed others across the Midwest.
“The sky lit up so bright it was almost daylight and there is a burning smell about 20 minutes afterward,” reported Gabby R. in Greencastle, Indiana.
Fireball might be what astronomers call a ‘bolide’
Fireballs that explode in the atmosphere, explained Shaw, are called bolides, which may have been what witnesses saw Tuesday morning.
A bolide, according to the American Meteor Society, is a special type of fireball that explodes in a bright terminal flash at its end, often with visible fragmentation. While it’s all speculation, it’s possible that somewhere in a Midwest cornfield there are small pieces of Tuesday’s meteor waiting to be found.
How common are Fireball meteors?
Believe it or not, fireballs are more common than you might think. They occur every day all over the Earth, according to the International Meteor Association. But you have to be at the right place, at the right time, looking at just the right moment — the moment is over in seconds. So to witness one is a rare treat.
More than 1,600 bolides have occurred so far in 2024, according to NASA’s Geostationary Lightning Mapper, a satellite that measures light and can aid scientists in detecting lightning from severe weather. According to its data, at least 23 bolides have occurred so far in December.
What to do if you spot a fireball meteor: Reporting them is easy
Wondering what to do if you see a huge, shooting star hurtling across the sky? Fireballs, Shaw said, should be reported to the American Meteor Society. The organization keeps track of meteor sightings and your report can help alert and inform scientists about important astronomical events.
To report a fireball online, visit Fireball.amsmeteors.org/members/imo/report_intro.
First day of winter 2024:How much daylight does Indiana get on the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year?
John Tufts covers trending news for IndyStar and Midwest Connect. Send him a news tip at JTufts@Gannett.com. Find him on BlueSky at JohnWritesStuff.