Watch: ‘Fireball’ meteor lights up Indiana skies, ‘like it was daylight’

Residents in Indiana were stunned by a fireball streaking across the sky on Tuesday morning. Although the cloudy weather made it harder to see, 47 people reported the sighting to the American Meteor Society (AMS).
The meteor was tracked travelling south by southeast around 4.05 am ET, just west of Indianapolis. “It lit up the sky like it was daylight,” said one witness, Andrew B, in his AMS report. Another witness, Di M, described the light as “the brightest short duration of light” they’d ever seen.

The clouds likely made the meteor appear brighter by spreading its intense light. These events, though rare, are called bolides. They are bright, fast-moving streaks across the sky that burn up in the atmosphere.
One Indiana resident, Michael Denney, managed to capture the fireball on his doorbell camera and later shared the video online. He told AMS that he heard a “thump” at the beginning of his recording and described it as a loud sonic boom. Other witnesses also reported hearing similar sounds, indicating the fireball had broken the sound barrier as it entered the atmosphere.
Mike Hackney, operations manager for the AMS, said, “Every night, little pieces of debris, dust, ice, rock, and metal floating around in space collide with Earth. When that happens, a meteor happens.” According to Hackney, fireball sightings like this one are unusual. The AMS received over 30 reports, with some people from Missouri, Michigan, and Illinois also witnessing the phenomenon.
Aarran Shaw, a professor at Butler University, said that the Geminid meteor shower peaks around December 14, and it’s usually small particles entering the atmosphere that cause bright meteor events. He advised people to move away from city lights for the best chance to see meteors, especially in clear weather.