What Causes Recent Fireball Sightings Over Lake Superior?

If you're lucky enough to catch a glimpse of a fireball, you know how bright and amazing they are. It's also a little scary. I witnessed a fireball firsthand a few years ago. It was just after dark, and I was in the backyard with my dog. Suddenly, a bright light illumined my backyard, but the shadows were moving. When I looked up, I saw this bright object with a tail streaking across the sky before exploding into a flash. It was super cool, but unfortunately, I didn't have any video of it.

Increase In Fireball Activity

Now with everyone's door cameras and security systems, we can sometimes catch it on video. Recently, there were two fireballs that were witnessed over Lake Superior. The first one happened on October 29th. It was caught by a harbor camera and a police squad car.

Then, just a few days later, another fireball was witnessed again over Lake Superior.

There was also a fireball caught from multiple angles in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

Why Are We Seeing More Fireballs Lately?

Fireballs are when meteors enter our atmosphere from space and burn up. Most of them are "shooting stars," which typically aren't that bright or as noticeable. Some of them are large enough to create fireballs.

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The Earth is passing through debris from an asteroid named 2004 TG10. It was discovered 20 years ago, and is likely part of the bigger Comet Encke before it broke off 20,000 years ago. Earth passes through the debris every three or 7 years. The Taurid fireballs have appeared in 2008, 2015, 2022, and now in 2025.

Best Chances For Spotting A Fireball

Now through November 9th is the peak time for seeing the meteor showers. It's best around midnight, and the Taurid meteor showers typically produce 5 meteors per hour, with some of them being fireballs. So keep an eye out.