A meteor exploded over Michigan last night, and the video is bonkers

On Tuesday night, January 16th, people in Michigan saw (and felt) a cosmic anomaly. A meteor crashed to Earth near a suburb of Detroit and caused a minor explosion that spiked local seismic instruments. The event happened around 8:05 p.m. ET and was caught on several dash-cams and CCTV cameras throughout the city. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) labeled the crash a meteorite impact and noted it measured magnitude 2.0 on their instruments. Some residents reportedly felt the minor quake shake their homes.

USGS reported that the meteor measured about two meters in diameter, and that the pieces hit about five miles northwest of New Haven, Michigan. The meteor’s explosion was so bright that it could be seen as far away as Traverse City and Chicago, NPR reported.

According to ABC News, the American Meteor Society reported that the event was visible in six surrounding states as well as parts of Canada. ABC News also noted that the National Weather Service (NWS) wasn’t too sure what residents of Michigan had witnessed. It took about two hours for the NWS to receive confirmation that it was, in fact, a meteor.

Many who watched and captured the meteor in action posted their videos to Twitter. It’s an eerie — but also really cool — sight to behold.

Time.com reported that the Ingham County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management posted a Facebook status urging people not to dial 911. It was simply a “natural meteor fireball,” the County Office stated, which sounds worse than it is — we promise.

We’re glad everyone’s okay, despite the minor earthquake, and also that we’re now able to watch the remarkable footage for ourselves.