Wisconsin Marvels at Giant Possible Meteor

At 10pm CDT night, what appeared to be a huge meteor dazzled Wisconsin residents, reportedly causing sonic booms in some areas and filling the sky “as if a full moon just peeked out from a cloud.”

Officials at the National Weather Service have not been able to confirm that it was in fact a meteor, but they said that meteor showers were expected to peak in the Wisconsin area around April 14, according to Wisconsin TV station WKOW, and so it was “likely” to have been one.

As Bad Astronomy’s Phil Plait notes, if you happen to have measurements of any sort pertaining to the meteor, particularly with respect to its location, you should pass them along to the International Meteor Organization, the international nonprofit that watches over amateur meteor work.

Here’s Wisconsin TV station WKOW’s report on the alleged meteor:

Update: A police cruiser dashboard camera in Iowa also got some footage of the apparent meteor: (h/t Cindy Au)

(WKOW via Bad Astronomy)