The Weirdest and Wildest Collection of Unique Gifts Anywhere!
The more you shop, the more people we can help!
W-File: mt971212.html
Type:
Meteor Sighting
Date: December 12, 1997 at about 8 pm
Location:
Colfax and Boyceville,
Wisconsin
Source: The UFO Roundup,
Volume 2 No. 49
GLOWING ORANGE FIREBALL STIRS UPPER MIDWEST
On Friday, December 12, 1997, at about 8 p.m.,
a UFO described as "a glowing orange or red" sphere
was seen over Eyota, Minnesota (population 1,448),
a town on Interstate Highway 90 about 100 miles
(160 kilometers) southeast of Minneapolis.
Within 15 minutes, calls were received in police
stations to the south in Wisconsin, Iowa and
Missouri, reporting "a mysterious flash of light."
Experts said the flash was "probably caused by
a meteor."
"It was a good-sized red ball," said Wylie Peterson
of Colfax, Wisconsin (population 1,110), a town on
Highway 170 about 20 miles (32 kilometers) northwest
of Eau Claire and 261 miles (418 kilometers) northwest
of Milwaukee. "It left a pretty good tail behind it. It was
too big to be a flare."
In Boyceville, Wisconsin (population 913), a town
20 miles (32 kilometers) west of Colfax, a private plane
was reported overdue, and townspeople organized a
search of the local woods. The search was suspended
after they realized that the glow was "probably from
the meteor" and not a crashing aircraft.
Astronomers at the University of Minnesota and
Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa said "the
phenomenon was best explained by a single meteor
entering the Earth's atmosphere." They noted that
December 12 is the height of annual Geminid meteor
shower.
"We are constantly bombarded by fragments of
old comets," said Lawrence Staunton, a physics and
astronomy professor at Drake University. "They are
mostly not seen."
The orange fireball, however, was also seen in
Cresco, Iowa (population 3,669) on Highway 9 about
228 miles (365 kilometers) northeast of Des Moines.
(Many thanks to Steve Wilson Sr. and Errol Bruce-
Knapp for these reports.)
Looking for Paranormal
Investigating Equipment? Find it all at
GetGhostGear.com!
Help show your support for this site and our efforts by visiting
www.GetGhostGear.com,
UFOWisconsin.com and any links
below!
All information contained above and elsewhere on
www.W-Files.com has rights
reserved to GetGhostGear.com Enterprises
and appropriate permissions must be gained before utilizing anything contained
here on www.W-Files.com to aid in
assuring our visitors, report filers and resources used to bring this site to
you have all protections and due rights made available. Interested parties
please contact us through "Copy Right Services @ GetGhostGear.com"
Disclaimer: W-Files.com has not verified the validity of every
report published within the W-Files.com. All reports are added to
the database 'as is' received. The reports posted have many
possible explanations, including but not restricted to known natural
earthly phenomena, hoaxes etc. We leave it up to the individual
viewer to judge the report based upon the content of the report
itself. As investigations occur, that information will be notated
on the individual report.