The meteorite, likely a comet fragment, burned up in the atmosphere, creating a green glow above the Great Lakes region.
Video from cameras of the Michigan Storm Chasers organization of the meteor rushing through the sky on November 23 was posted on Facebook this week. According to the American Meteor Society (AMS), many people saw meteors in the states of Michigan, Wisconsin, Indiana, and even as far away as 550 km away like the city of Lancaster, Ohio.
Meteor crashes over Great Lakes area. Video: Michigan Storm Chasers
NASA then traced the meteorite’s path using video and other reports. According to the agency, it became visible at an altitude of 100 km above Hubbard Lake, then hurtled at 160,000 km/h for about 132 km, finally disintegrating at an altitude of 74 km above Lake Huron.
According to NASA, the meteorite above the Great Lakes appears to be a small, single comet fragment, not part of any ongoing meteor shower like the Leonid meteor shower, which lasts from November 6 to November 30. Leonid meteorites are famous for their high speed, rushing into the Earth’s atmosphere at a speed of about 260,000 km/h, becoming bright fireballs, sometimes leaving long streaks of light.
The comet fragment glows as it crashes through Earth’s atmosphere. Image: Skippy/Bam B/Jeremy Downard
Most comets and meteorites are visible to the naked eye, but capturing images requires specialized astrophotography equipment. According to AMS, meteorites sometimes emit a green glow due to high concentrations of metals, such as nickel. Elements can produce fireballs of different colors: sodium produces bright yellow while magnesium is bright blue.
The world has recorded many cases of meteorites emitting green light. For example, in July 2022, a green fireball appeared above New Zealand. In November of the same year, another meteorite fell into Lake Ontario, becoming the smallest asteroid ever measured with a diameter of only 40-60 cm.