Northern Lights Hunters Awed By Spectacular Green Fireball Racing Over Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin
Halloween weekend 2021 has been shaping up to be a special weekend for those who look to catch a glimpse of the Northern Lights. An unusual weather pattern is forecast for the lights to be viewable far to the south of their normal limits into much of the United States.
Skygazers across the Great Lakes were treated to an extra show on Saturday night with a spectacular green fireball shot westward across the sky.
The fireball was reported on the Great Lakes Aurora Hunters Facebook group. It was seen as far north as Michigan's Upper Peninsula, as far west as the Twin Cities and as far south as Chicagoland.
Many members of the Aurora Hunters group across a wide swath of the upper Midwest commented on the phenomenon:
Yes. Saw it over Lake Michigan, in Grand Haven, MI
Driving towards Madison Wisconsin, that was bright!
Saw it near Wausau, Wi
Saw it in Carol Stream, Illinois
Saw it between Niagara, Wisconsin and Norway, Michigan!
Saw it in twin cities
Saw it out of the corner of my eye while outside waiting for the Aurora just west of Oconomowoc, WI. Very bright and green.
As of publication, there are scant few photos or videos of the fireball posted to social media.
For some hoping to see the lights, it may be a bust due to significant cloud cover.
Fireballs, while not an everyday occurrence, do happen a few times a year. In March 2021, an EarthCam in St Joseph at Silver Beach caught a spectacular view of a fireball over Lake Michigan. Check that out here.
A fireball spotted over Michigan earlier in October turned out to be a spy satellite of Russian origin.
The Northern Lights are one of nature's more spectacular phenomena. Check out more weather lore: