A meteor or meteorite of the kind that lit up the night sky over the Midwestern US Wednesday does not need to be large to create that kind of dramatic effect. I would estimate that something the size of a basketball, or even a baseball, could be that visible for that many miles around. The burning rock makes a huge fuss as it plunges through the atmosphere. I would say that it's unlikely to be found, though it would be cool if pieces turned up. I didn't read any descriptions of the sound of the event. -- efc
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BTW, University of Michigan reports they recovered what they believe to be a piece of the meteorite.
That AP article wasn’t very well researched. Actually, there is a good likelihood that pieces will be found. The meteor path was detected on 3 different weather radars, allowing accurate triangulation of the path. That alone is almost unheard of. And it is fairly easy to tell meteorite fragments from a random rock. Meteorites are almost always metallic iron and will attract to a magnet. Pieces of iron lying around the ground or in shallow craters are not a common occurrence in the Midwest, they would stand out and be noticed. And meteor hunters are already on the prowl, I’m sure. Finding a fragment from an identifiable meteor would make it more valuable. Meteorites are already collectible and pretty pricey.
I heard a firsthand account of the sound from someone in my office who saw the meteor. He said it sounded like a sonic boom but persisted longer, like a rumbling sound rather than a distinct sharp boom. That was probably multiple overlapping sonic booms as it broke up and each piece caused its own boom.
I recall hearing a boom myself, but I was farther away and it wasn’t very loud. I didn’t think much of it. I went out to my window to see if it was lightning, it was cloudy and I thought it might be raining.