大型火球報導橫越中西部天空

大型火球報導橫越中西部天空
Massive fireball reported across Midwestern sky
By the CNN Wire Staff
April 15, 2010 -- Updated 1406 GMT (2206 HKT)

(CNN) -- Authorities in several Midwestern states were flooded Wednesday night with reports of a gigantic fireball lighting up the sky, the National Weather Service said.
（CNN） - 週三晚幾個中西部的州當局被報告水浸，有關一個巨大的火球照亮天空，國家氣象局說。
The fireball was visible for about 15 minutes beginning about 10 p.m., said the National Weather Service in Sullivan, Wisconsin, just west of Milwaukee.
火球約晚上10點左右開始可見到約 15分鐘，在密爾沃基以西的威斯康辛州沙利文的國家氣象局表示。
"The fireball was seen over the northern sky, moving from west to east," said the NWS in the Quad Cities area, which includes parts of Iowa and Illinois.
“火球在北部天空被見到，從西向東移動，”在四城市地區的NWS說，它包括愛荷華州和伊利諾伊州的部分。
"Well before it reached the horizon, it broke up into smaller pieces and was lost from sight," the service said. "Several reports of a prolonged sonic boom were received from areas north of Highway 20, along with shaking of homes, trees and various other objects including wind chimes," it said.
“嗯在它到達地平線之前，它破裂成較細塊和消失於視野中，”局方說。 “收到幾份報告來自 公路20北部地區，有關拖長的音爆，隨著房屋振動，樹木和其它各種物體包括風在鳴響，”它說。
It said the fireball was seen across parts of Missouri, Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin. CNN affiliate WISN-TV said that people in Ohio also saw it.
它說火球被看見橫跨密蘇里州、伊利諾伊州、印第安納州和威斯康星州的部分。美國有線電視新聞網附屬 WISN電視說，在俄亥俄州的人亦看到。
Video from WISN showed a massive ball of light exploding across the sky. The Doppler Radar from the Quad Cities weather service appeared to capture a portion of the smoke trail from the fireball at just after 10 p.m., the NWS said. It appears as a thin line extending across portions of Grant and Iowa Counties in Wisconsin.

There has been no official determination as to what caused the fireball, the NWS in Sullivan said.

However, it said there is a meteor shower called Gamma Virginids that occurs from April 4 to April 21, with peak activity expected on Wednesday and Thursday.

"A large meteorite could have caused the brilliant fireball that has been reported," the National Weather Service said.

The NWS in Quad Cities said that it was unknown if any part of a meteorite hit the ground.

According to NASA, a meteor appears when a meteoroid -- a particle, chunk of metal or stony matter -- enters the Earth's atmosphere from outer space.

"Air friction heats the meteoroid so that it glows and creates a shining trail of gases and melted meteoroid particles," it said. "People sometimes call the brightest meteors fireballs."


火球劃過阿肯色州天空