Image: The Wisconsin Bolide

A rooftop webcam at the University of Wisconsin-Madison captured the final seconds of a fireball's Wednesday, April 14 descent into the atmosphere. A fireball is a meteor, or "shooting star," that emits a brilliant light as it enters Earth's atmosphere.

News reports in the area indicated that 911 call centers in at least six states began to light up with calls reporting the celestial visitor a little after 10 p.m. local time. Eyewitness accounts stated it was moving from west to east and broke into multiple pieces. Numerous witnesses also heard crackling sounds and a sonic boom. It is not know yet if any debris from the fireball survived the intense heat of atmospheric entry and made it to Earth's surface.…

Also see the Bad Astronomy Blog.