Lights in the Midwestern Skies

Bright lights were reported over the Midwestern US skies last night. Reports ranged from Wisconson to Iowa to St. Louis, Missouri. Witness reports noted 'streaking red fireballs', bright red lights, and 'fire in the sky'.

I will post a link shortly; am having trouble with my comp. The links I read were to Midwestern newspapers such as the Minneapolis newspaper (Star-Tribune, I believe), as well as one in Iowa. The Minnesota newspaper was linked from Drudge.

MILWAUKEE — From southeastern Wisconsin to as far as Des Moines, Iowa and St. Louis, people reported seeing balls of fire, possibly meteors, streaking across the sky last night.
No major meteor showers were expected in the northern hemisphere on Sunday night, said Jim Lattis, director of the University of Wisconsin-Madison astronomy department's Space Place. But he said it was possible that a minor shower may have been what prompted calls to authorities. startribune.com

sanc

I wouldn't think to "call in" a meteor. Do people in many states typically call in a few meteors during normal meteor storms (Leonid, Perseid)?

I would hope that even the folks who lack proper education wouldn't be calling in natural-ocurring meteors. Don't most kids in the lower grades of education learn about stuff like this?

This week's outlook (low): www.amsmeteors.org...
General: www.amsmeteors.org...

Here's a thought. Super-cold weather outside. People typically don't go outside in such cold weather. So, if I was a UFO pilot, I'd think it would be easier to fly around with less perception when more people are indoors. Even though upper-atmosphere is always super-cold, people are less likely to be outside viewing in such conditions.

[edit on 5-2-2007 by bonaire]

This is odd, and I am wondering if my rememberance of what I experienced last night is recollection or some kind of playing into knowing something was reported.

Living in Michigan, I know what you mean about how cold it is here in the Midwest. If I was going to do some covert ops, the coldest night of the year coupled with so many people being drunk after the Superbowl would be a good time to do it.

(Im not going to post what happened because it was most likely the moon I saw.)

Thank you, Sanctum, for finding the link I was talking about. My comp was just not wanting to work well early this morning so I had trouble getting another link opened to be able to copy over.

This wasn't an earth-shattering type of sighting; but I thought it was worth mentioning in regards to all of the other reported events lately.

Plus: these midwestern sightings actually made the morning news (Fox) radio updates I was listening to while driving to work. That rarely happens. Media sure seems tuned into this lately......

I think most people have seen 'shooting stars' but not many have seen low altitude meteors. I saw one when I was walking home with a friend after our Boy Scout meeting. It was after dark in the fall and this was a very long time ago --- mid '60's.

We were walking along talking and then heard something overhead. We looked up and saw a fireball with a green-orange tail coming down. There was a loud hissing/crackling sound and a short time after it passed behind the treeline we could even smell it.

I know I would have reported it if I'd seen something like that nowadays --- if I hadn't experienced that back then.

jtma: You experience was very close to one that I had when I was a child. My parents and I were leaving a wedding reception in a little town in Texas and a large green light just lit up the sky like green lightning. I can remember that I did hear a noise; but I cannot remember exactly what it was.

Come to find out the next day that a small meteor had apparently landed in a nearby farm. It was reported in several neighboring newspapers.

This was approximately 35 year ago; but I remember a lot about that event.