Loud Boom Heard Over Springfield

Could the boom have been caused by a meteor?

So yesterday, December 15th, a loud boom was heard in Springfield, MO. The calls that came in to the police department were from different areas of the city. Crews from the police and fire departments were sent out but were unable to determine the source of the sound. Some are speculating that it may have something to do with the Geminid Meteor Shower. People on social media threads are describing it as sounding like a sonic boom and a few who have lived in parts of the country where earthquakes are common are comparing it to that type of an experience. Folks were reporting that the boom shook their homes.


I personally think it was probably a meteor. Although the Geminid Meteor Shower peaked this past Friday, meteors are still being spotted. Meteors are also hard to see in the daylight so even if a lot of people heard/felt it, I can see how it is possible that no one saw it.

Rare image of meteor captured in the daylight over Arizona.

"The Geminids are my favorite because they defy explanation," said Bill Cooke who heads up NASA's Meteoroid Environment Office, in a statement. "Of all the debris streams Earth passes through every year, the Geminids are by far the most massive. When we add up the amount of dust in the Geminid stream, it outweighs other streams by factors of 5 to 500."

Maybe it was a meteor that startled people in Springfield? Reports similar to those in Springfield yesterday are coming in from all over the globe. 

Even still, speculation ranges from an earthquake to underground gas, to a meth lab explosion. I suppose we most likely will never know what caused the mysterious boom.

 I have been fascinated with the night sky since childhood, and one of the things I find the most thrilling in the world is to witness a meteor burning through the atmosphere. Maybe I am lucky or maybe it is because I've spent a lot of time with my eyes glued to the skies but I have had the pleasure of seeing many meteors in my life. Just last year when Mark and I were passing through a dessert in Nevada during the late evening, we saw a bright flash of what we thought was lightening come out of nowhere (it was a clear night and hadn't been storming). We flashed each other confused looks and I turned around in my seat just in time to see a MASSIVE fireball plummeting to earth. It was stunning. Absolutely beautiful. I estimate that it was just a few miles from our car. I consider myself very lucky to have seen that one and only wish Mark could have seen it too. 

Fireball shot by Pierre Martin

About a week ago, Mark was outside during the evening checking the mail. When he was headed back toward the house he saw a streak of bright light in the sky. He said it looked like the fuel-trail from a jet but that it was bright orange and faded away very quickly. He seemed very concerned with what he had seen, which leads me to believe that it was probably a meteor. He had never seen one before that! Many people have caught sight of a shooting star but spotting a meteor is much more stunning! 

Did any of you here in the Ozarks see or hear anything yesterday? What do you think the loud boom over Springfield was? 

I'll leave you with this video of the meteor caught on film earlier this year in Russia. Until tomorrow!

~ Love & Light ~