Watch FIFA World Cup 2026™

LIVE, FREE and EXCLUSIVE

Slow-moving meteor lights up Detroit's skies

Footage of a meteor entering the earth's atmosphere and registering a 2.0 earthquake has been captured across multiple states in the US.

A meteor filmed in Michigan.
A meteor filmed in Michigan. Source: WWMT/Zack Lawler

A meteor lighting up the cold night sky in Michigan, midwestern US, has been captured travelling northwest across the US.

NASA Meteor Watch confirmed the fireball was a slow-moving meteor from a space rock, nearly a metre long, that had burnt up upon entering the Earth's atmosphere.

"Our analysis yields a similar result, and we have calculated that this was a very slow moving meteor - speed of about 28,000 miles per hour (45,000kmph)," the NASA Facebook post read.

"This fact, combined with the brightness of the meteor (which suggests a fairly big space rock at least a yard across), shows that the object penetrated deep into the atmosphere before it broke apart (which produced the sounds heard by many observers)."

The USGS earthquake's hazard program recorded a 2.0 earthquake in Michigan most likely related to the meteor.

News that makes sense

Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.


1 min read

Published

By Riley Morgan



Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News straight to your inbox

Sign up now for daily news from Australia and around the world. You can also subscribe to Insight's weekly newsletter for in-depth features and first-person stories.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Follow SBS News

Download our apps

Listen to our podcasts

Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service

Stream now

Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world