Fireball Explosion Over Illinois Monday Night Caught on Video

If you happen to be looking at the right part of the sky over Illinois Monday night, you were treated to a spectacular long track meteor that hundreds in the state reported they witnessed. There is video that captured the moment it happened.

According to the American Meteor Society, more than 200 residents including hundreds in Illinois saw a meteor explode over the state at approximately 9:42pm Monday, June 1, 2026. This is a screen capture of this brilliant fireball.

Nick's description on the video he captured said it last for a stunning 14 seconds in total before it completely burnt up in the atmosphere. You can watch the video he captured here.

Are there currently any meteor showers ongoing?

There are no known major meteor showers happening right now according to the American Meteor Society. The next will be the Southern delta Aquariids which are normally visible starting in the middle of July. There has been an unusual uptick of major meteor sightings including one yesterday that caused a major sonic boom over the Massachusetts area. There are a few online who are concerned that these major meteor sightings might indicate a larger object might be incoming, but there's no evidence of that at this time. It's just more proof that the skies over Illinois are not boring and sometimes you get treated to something very special like what happened Monday night.