Meteor lights up southern Michigan

Early last night local time, a meteor rocketed through the skies of southern Michigan, giving local residents a dramatic (if brief) light show. It also generated an imperceptible thump, as the US Geological Survey confirmed that there was a coincident magnitude 2.0 earthquake.

The American Meteor Society has collected more than 350 eyewitness accounts, which ranged from western Pennsylvania out to Illinois and Wisconsin. They were heavily concentrated over southern Michigan, notably around the Detroit area. A number of people have also posted videos of the fireball online; one of the better compilations is below.

The American Meteor Society estimates that the rock was relatively slow-moving at a sedate 45,000km an hour. Combined with its production of a large fireball, the researchers conclude it was probably a big rock. NASA's meteorwatch Facebook page largely agrees and suggests that this probably means that pieces of the rock made it to Earth. If you were on the flight path, you might want to check your yard.

NASA wasn't the only one confirming the nature of the bright flash in the sky and booms that some reported accompanied it. The National Weather Service confirmed that thunder and lightning were not at fault. Meanwhile, the US Geological Survey registered the rock's violent disintegration as a small earthquake (magnitude 2.0, which is typically not perceptible) centered a bit north of Detroit.

With the proliferation of cheap video cameras used as dashcams and for security purposes, spotting an event like this has become a pretty regular occurrence. Most meteors, however, aren't accompanied by any of the source making it to the ground.

In many cases, meteors preserve conditions from early in the Solar System's history, increasing our knowledge of the chemicals and isotopes present when planets were forming, so these rocks have scientific value. They're also popular with collectors, giving them significant financial value. Maps of the region show significant snow cover (over 10cm), which could make spotting any fallen material easier.