Bolide

Now there's a word you don't hear every day. Bolide!

Kathie and I were watching a movie last evening, when just after 10:00PM I glanced out our front window and saw an amazing streak of fire passing across the sky from west to east. I have since seen the phrase "ball of fire" used, and that would be an accurate description of the leading edge of the phenomenon, but there was a distinct trailing streak to it as well. The leading edge was very much yellow and orange in color. It appeared to be at about the same altitude as the airplanes we often see departing from the Eastern Iowa Airport. Indeed, my first thought was that it was an airplane in trouble, but then I realized that it was moving too fast. I jumped up and ran to the window in time to see it continue off much further to the east before it eventually just disappeared. We heard no sonic booms or other noises, and yes, Kathie saw it too, so I wasn't hallucinating.

I began looking on the Internet for reports of sitings and discovered the word bolide being used to describe some past sitings. The dictionary on my computer describes a bolide as "a large meteor that explodes in the atmosphere." This fits with what we saw. By about 10:30PM, I did begin to find some online reports of sitings elsewhere.

This morning, I used Google to look for other reports of similar sitings, and it turns out that there were numerous reports all across the upper midwest (Missouri, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, and the Dakotas). One especially good collection of reports, videos, and comments can be found at this location. Included there is a video captured by a camera near Madison, WI and another by a camera in Elma, IA. The one from Elma, IA is most like what we saw. A meteor shower referred to as the Gamma Virginis shower may be the explanation for these sitings. You can read more about that here. The picture posted there is quite similar to what we saw.

Anyway, Kathie and I feel privileged to have witnessed this event. It was truly one of the most amazing things I have ever seen.