ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Stargazers in the Midwest spotted a fireball in the night sky this week, but the bright streak actually turned out not to be a meteor.
NASA said the long-lasting fireball seen Tuesday was caused by the “reentry and fragmentation of a satellite.”
The American Meteorological Society confirmed the fragment was from Kosmos-2551, a Russian reconnaissance satellite that launched in September, but it failed to maintain orbit
Regardless of what it was, those who spotted the fireball were treated to quite the show
Multiple people in Ann Arbor, Michigan, were able to capture the phenomenon on video and they shared their clips on social media.
“Bro, is this how the dinosaurs went out?” one person said in one of the videos.
WARNING: Profanity can be heard in the clips below.
I was very lucky to see a #comet or maybe #ufo over #AnnArbor #Michigan last night… probably just some #meteorite though. @NWS @NWSDetroit pic.twitter.com/ZQLZFn9aNB
— Jared Dougall (@JaredDougallTMD) October 21, 2021
Uhhhh, we just saw a meteor fall over ann arbor...@Local4News @wxyzdetroit @FOX2News @annarbornews @AnnArbor
Excuse the language, but it's not everyday you see that... pic.twitter.com/fJNEJssE4B
— Max Roberts (@Dizzard) October 20, 2021
