Lake Michigan Meteor 2017: Pictures And Video Of Fireball Lighting Illinois And Wisconsin Sky

A meteor lit up the sky Monday night and was spotted by several people across the Midwest, according to reports. The meteor, which was seen passing across Lake Michigan, was witnessed by spectators in Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana and Michigan around 1:30 a.m. local time, the American Meteor Society reported.

Several people from the Midwest took to social media to report the meteor sighting, including some who posted photos and videos on Twitter of the meteor lighting up the sky. Police officers in Wisconsin and Illinois released dashcam videos of the fireball streaking across the night sky as well.

Jeff Last, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Green Bay, Wisconsin, said a sonic boom occurred when the meteor passed, which was strong enough to shake houses in the region. Meteorologists in areas surrounding Lake Michigan also said radar technology picked up an object around the time the meteor passed, confirming the fireball’s sky activity.

“The potential meteor was spotted just between Manitowoc and Sheboygan out in Lake Michigan. They think it was moving toward the Northeast when the radar spotted it about 21,000 feet,” Patrick Powell, chief meteorologist for Fox 11, said.

It is unclear where or if the meteor landed in the water, but some meteorologists speculated that the fireball could have broken up in the sky.

There have been meteors to light up the sky around Lake Michigan before, however, what was most alarming about the latest meteor was the size and loud sonic boom that accompanied it.

“We've had bright ones over the state, but nothing of this magnitude to, at least in our area, to cause a sonic boom,” Alan Peche, director of the Barlow Planetarium at UW Fox Valley, told Fox 11. “This thing is probably about the size of maybe, a washing machine. This was pretty impressive."

"The bigger it is, the more likely you'll hear it," he added.

Check out a few snapshots and videos of the meteor below.