Fireball meteor over Lake Michigan.

The American Meteor Society has received reports of a bright fireball meteor being seen over Lake Michigan at about 11.40 pm local time on Sunday 19 June 2022 (about 3.40 am on Monday 20 June, GMT). People witnesses observing the event from Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, and Wisconsin, and reported it moving roughly south to north. A fireball is defined as a meteor (shooting star) brighter than the planet Venus. These are typically caused by pieces of rock burning up in the atmosphere, but can be the result of man-made space-junk burning up on re-entry.

The 19 June 2022 Lake Michigan fireball seen from Crest Hill, Illinois. Neil Boing/American Meteor Society.

Objects of this size probably enter the Earth's atmosphere several times a year, though unless they do so over populated areas they are unlikely to be noticed. They are officially described as fireballs if they produce a light brighter than the planet Venus. The brightness of a meteor is caused by friction with the Earth's atmosphere, which is typically far greater than that caused by simple falling, due to the initial trajectory of the object. Such objects typically eventually explode in an airburst called by the friction, causing them to vanish as an luminous object. However, this is not the end of the story as such explosions result in the production of a number of smaller objects, which fall to the ground under the influence of gravity (which does not cause the luminescence associated with friction-induced heating).

Heat map showing areas where sightings of the meteor were reported (warmer colours indicate more sightings), and the apparent path of the object (blue arrow). American Meteor Society. 

These 'dark objects' do not continue along the path of the original bolide, but neither do they fall directly to the ground, but rather follow a course determined by the atmospheric currents (winds) through which the objects pass. Scientists are able to calculate potential trajectories for hypothetical dark objects derived from meteors using data from weather monitoring services.

Witness reports can help astronomers to understand these events. If you witness a fireball-type meteor over the US you can report it to the American Meteor Society here. 

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Fireball over Lake Michigan.

The American Meteor Society has received reports of a bright fireball meteor being seen over the Lake Michigan, slightly before 11.50 pm on Friday 10 May 2019 Central Time (about 4.50 am on Saturday 11 May GMT). The meteor was seen from Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, with the majority of the reports coming from Illinois. A fireball is defined as a meteor (shooting star) brighter than the planet Venus. These are typically caused by pieces of rock burning up in the atmosphere, but can be the result of man-made space-junk burning up on re-entry. 

The 10 May 2019 Lake Michigan Meteor, seen from Elgin, Illinois. Bluff City Jeff/Twitter.

A fireball is defined as a meteor (shooting star) brighter than the planet Venus. These are typically caused by pieces of rock burning up in the atmosphere, but can be the result of man-made space-junk burning up on re-entry. This object appeared to move north-to-south, passing over Lake Michigan and part of Indiana, where it disappeared. 

 Map showing areas where sightings of the meteor were reported, and the apparent path of the object (blue arrow). American Meteor Society.

Objects of this size probably enter the Earth's atmosphere several times a year, though unless they do so over populated areas they are unlikely to be noticed. They are officially described as fireballs if they produce a light brighter than the planet Venus. The brightness of a meteor is caused by friction with the Earth's atmosphere, which is typically far greater than that caused by simple falling, due to the initial trajectory of the object. Such objects typically eventually explode in an airburst called by the friction, causing them to vanish as an luminous object. However this is not the end of the story as such explosions result in the production of a number of smaller objects, which fall to the ground under the influence of gravity (which does not cause the luminescence associated with friction-induced heating).

 

These 'dark objects' do not continue along the path of the original bolide, but neither do they fall directly to the ground, but rather follow a course determined by the atmospheric currents (winds) through which the objects pass. Scientists are able to calculate potential trajectories for hypothetical dark objects derived from meteors using data from weather monitoring services.

 

Witness reports can help astronomers to understand these events. If you witness a fireball-type meteor over the US you can report it to the American Meteor Society here. 

 

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Electrical cable leaks dielectric fluid into Lake Michigan.

Around 2250 litres of dielectric fluid has leaked from a power line beneath the western end of the Straits of Mackinac, on Sunday 1-Monday 2 April 2018. The pipeline, which is operated by the American Transmission Co. and connects Point La Barbe to the north to the McGulpin Riser Station on the south side of the Straits, is thought to have been struck by a marine vessel passing through the channel. The leak was detected due to a drop in pressure in the line, which prompted the operators to shut the cable off and reduce the fluid pressure in it, but the poor weather in the region hampered efforts to locate the actual leak.

Scientists from the US Coast Guard, the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, and the American Transmission Co., during the search for a leak from a damaged power cable beneath the Straits of Mackinac, earlier this week. US Coast Guard.

Dielectric fluids are used to insulate power cables by quenching electrical discharges. A variety of liquids can be used for this purpose, though in this case the substance is understood to be DF 45, a mixture of benzene and alkyl derivatives, considered to be toxic and harmful to the environment, though as the main danger is considered to be presented come from inhaling concentrated fumes, it is likely that the substance will disperse without causing serious problems in this instance.

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Fireball over the American Midwest.

The American Meteor Society has received reports of a bright fireball meteor being seen over much of the American Midwest slightly before 1.30 am local time (slightly before 7.30 GMT) on Monday 6 February 2017. The fireball was seen across Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Iowa, Ontario, New York, Kentucky and Minnesota, though the majority of sightings came from Illinois and Wisconsin. A fireball is defined as a meteor (shooting star) brighter than the planet Venus. These are typically caused by pieces of rock burning up in the atmosphere, but can be the result of man-made space-junk burning up on re-entry. The meteor is described as having a greenish colour, which may indicate it had a high magnesium content. It passed from southwest to northeast, and is thought to have ended its journey somewhere over Lake Michigan (in this context 'ended its journey' means exploded due to friction induced heating; this typically happens high in the atmosphere, with smaller chunks of the object falling to Earth in relative darkness).

Dashcam images of the 6 February 2017 Midwest meteor. Lisle Police Department/American Meteor Society.

Objects of this size probably enter the Earth's atmosphere several times a year, though unless they do so over populated areas they are unlikely to be noticed. They are officially described as fireballs if they produce a light brighter than the planet Venus. It is possible that this object will have produced meteorites that reached the surface (an object visible in the sky is a meteor, a rock that falls from the sky and can be physically held and examined is a meteorite).

Witness reports can help astronomers to understand these events. If you witnessed this fireball you can report it to the American Meteor Society here.  

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Six year old boy swallowed by Indiana sinkhole.

A six year old boy was swallowed by a sinkhole at the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore Park, on the south of Lake Michigan slightly after 4.00 pm local time (slightly after 8.00 pm GMT) on Friday 12 July 2013. Rescue teams from the Michigan City Fire Department took three hours to dig the boy out, by which time he had sunk 3.5 m into the sand. He was airlifted to a hospital in Chicago where he is said to be making good progress.

Rescue teams trying to free the boy on Friday 12 July 2013. ABC7 Chicago.

Sinkholes are generally caused by water eroding soft limestone or unconsolidated deposits from beneath, causing a hole that works its way upwards and eventually opening spectacularly at the surface. Where there are unconsolidated deposits at the surface, as in the case of this sinkhole, they can infill from the sides, apparently swallowing objects at the surface, including people, without trace.

The approximate location of the Indiana Dunes sinkhole. Google Maps.

See also Car and driver swallowed by Ohio sinkhole, Iowa sinkhole linked to nineteenth century mines, Man swallowed by sinkhole in Shenzhen, South China, Florida man swallowed by sinkhole in home and Massive sinkhole opens up in Assumption Parish, Louisiana.

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