ST. LOUIS – A bright meteor flashed across parts of the Midwest earlier this week, capturing the attention of people stretching from Michigan to Arkansas. 

The sight happened around 9 pm Wednesday night and the American Meteor Society received 13 reports from states including Missouri, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana and Arkansas. You can check out a map with all the reports here.

An observer in RIchmond Heights said at first she thought it was lightning but then looked up and saw an orange fiery trail burning across the sky. 

Dan Bush, a photographer with Missouri Skies, he captured the Wednesday night meteor but also reportedly captured a few others in northwest Missouri this week. He tells Spectrum News while these were bright meteors they aren’t extraordinary and he’s spotted much brighter in his 25 years as an enthusiast. 

The Perseids meteor shower peaked a couple of weeks ago so these meteors are likely sporadic meteors, not part of any predictable event.

The American Meteor Society says a fireball is a term for a very bright meteor, generally brighter than a magnitude -4, which is about the same magnitude of the planet Venus during the morning or evening sky. The group asks people who witness these memorable events to report it on their site with as many details as possible.