You Witnessed a Fireball Meteor! What It Is and What to Do Next

INDIANAPOLIS — What’s loud, bright, and can rattle houses as it streaks through our atmosphere? If you were among the many in Indiana who heard a significant boom early Tuesday morning, you just witnessed a rare astronomical event: a fireball meteor.

Fireball meteors are larger and brighter than typical meteors. Storm Track 8’s Ryan Morse describes them as “larger and brighter,” capable of traveling further into the atmosphere before dissipating.

According to the American Meteor Society, most fireballs occur “over the oceans and uninhabited regions” and often go unnoticed during daylight. However, residents across Indiana reported seeing Tuesday’s fireball. Many sightings came from western Indiana, including parts of Indianapolis around 4 a.m., while others claimed to have seen it in southern Indiana late Monday night.

Those who experienced the fireball shared their accounts with WISH-TV, describing it as a loud boom that shook homes and awakened both people and pets. One viewer likened the sound to a sonic boom accompanied by a jet flying overhead.

The Frankfort Police Department even captured footage of the fireball on one of its parking lot security cameras, referring to it as “a front row seat.”