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Space Junk or a Meteor? Fireball Lit Up Midwestern Skies

Posted by timothy on from the zip-zoomin-along dept.

The Space Reporter has this to say about a fireball witnessed by many midwesterners on Thursday night: "The massive fireball was seen in the early morning hours in Iowa on Thursday night. At least 700 people have reported a sighting and the fireball was reported by people across the Midwest, including Iowa, Illinois, Missouri and Nebraska. However, astronomers say they are still unsure whether the fireball was the result of space debris or a meteor. Officials at the National Weather Service say they are working to determine the source of the fireball, although the leading theory seems to support a meteor was the source." CCTV footage of the fireball is great, though it doesn't stack up to the world of Russian dashcams.

8 of 87 comments (clear)

  1. CCTV Link by fred911 · · Score: 5, Informative

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SdI7KnLGN8

    Missing from story.

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    09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B - D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0 45 5F E1 04 22 CA 29 C4 93 3F 95 05 2B 79 2A B2
    1. Re:CCTV Link by osu-neko · · Score: 3, Funny

      One error is excusable, but three or more glaring errors are absolutely unacceptable.

      Absolutely. You should ask for your money back.

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      "Convictions are more dangerous enemies of truth than lies."
  2. Broken link by sjames · · Score: 3, Informative

    this video works better :)

  3. Re:National Weather Service? by Joe_Dragon · · Score: 4, Funny

    IT was an UFO we shot down but we are calling it some kind of weather equipment

  4. I saw it. by Picass0 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I was driving east on I-80 in Council Bluffs, IA. At the time I wondered if it was a meteor or something man made. It was bright white but had a green hue as it broke up.

    I was also a bit grateful there was no earth shattering kaboom.

  5. Re:National Weather Service? by whodunit · · Score: 3, Funny

    That's the federal government for you, trigger happy assholes. You NEVER get elerium out of a shoot-down. They can't do anything right.

  6. day after christmas by wbr1 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Drunken Santa miscalculated and burned up on reentry.

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    Silence is a state of mime.
  7. Re:National Weather Service? by CohibaVancouver · · Score: 4, Funny

    Did any news agencies bother to ask them if they even detected something?

    They did - And even released footage of the incident, including footage from a fighter jet -

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNeMNXQBzd8