Witnesses in the Midwest who saw a streak of light blaze across the sky shortly before 1 a.m. Wednesday most likely saw a satellite breaking apart as it re-entered the atmosphere, NASA now says.
A NASA map shows sightings of the fireball and its approximate path. (Graphic: Facebook)
The space agency does not believe it was a meteor or other natural object, The Detroit News reports :
"This event was not caused by a natural object; it was produced by the reentry and fragmentation of a satellite over that area of the country," the agency said in a Facebook post on its NASA Meteor Watch page.
At least one expert speculated that it was a failed Russian spy satellite.
A Harvard astrophysicist said he is "100% confident" it was, but doubts official confirmation of its origin will come.
Many witnesses in Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Kentucky and Ontario saw and photographed the fireball as it streaked into the atmosphere.
The Macomb County Scanner Facebook page captured the flight on video:
