Was a Rocket just Launched?! (saw it at 2:30AM from Illinois)

[Allegra]

I hear stuff like that in my part of town all the time.

;-)

[AntiGuv]

I've seen a bolide with sound and it was very distinctive, but not at all the type of sound a rocket would make.

[beaversmom]

I've seen nighttime rockets before, most recently while in Sanibel Island during the last week in April.

And how often is it that you see these rockets?

[leadpenny]

Five minutes would be a bit too long for what you call a bolide, right?

[Doofer]

I was stationed on a Aircraft Carrier and what you describe could have very easily been a fighter aircraft of some sort in full after burner.

[John Valentine]

I actually went outside my house and watched it for a good 5 minutes.

That time span alone would seem to rule out a jet climbing out on afterburners. That display would end in seconds, not minutes. This would seem to have to be quite high in the atmosphere to be traveling at high speed and remain visible for so long. Just how loud waould you estimate the sound? As loud as a truck drivinb by? A chopper with fairly open exhausts? Distant thunder?

[AntiGuv]

Oh yes, definitely too long just based on my observation.

[Prince Charles]

It took 5 minutes to cross the sky?

[Prince Charles]

You beat me to it.

[DollarBill]

Here is my post when we had the earthquake last year - I was relieved that I wasn't nuts and that someone else felt it! http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1161472/posts?page=20#20

Someone else had to have seen or heard this (thanks GrayBeard for confiming the noise)...

[Graybeard58]

Have you seen the meteor crater in Arizona? Impressive to say the least.

[endthematrix]

I work at the FAA in IL and I called up to the ROC and no "strange" calls were made here.

[Prince Charles]

I've not seen it in person, but yeah, it's sure somethin' to behold.

[Graybeard58]

I remember the thread about the earth quake too. I was awake and didn't hear or feel a thing. Learned later that it wasn't felt this far south but about 40 to 50 miles to the north they did feel it.

I was born and raised in New Madrid County, Missouri and felt a lot of them while growing up.

[DollarBill]

Regarding your questions, I would estimate the sound as 4 times as loud as a big jet at 3000 ft. on an initial climb - but it was loud enough to wake me, loud enough for me to get up and look out of the window, and bright enough to get dressed and walk outside to watch it for 5 minutes. It had that deep rumble sound...

[Prince Charles]

I was FReeping at that time and thought someone had slammed into the side of the house! The computer chair was also pushed slightly towards my desk. IIRC it was only a 3.0.

[leadpenny]

I believe you saw something. I'd call the non-emergency State Police number to see what they have.

[endthematrix]

That being said, we do have strange calls, and one UFO in 2002 took the cake:

"The North American Aerospace Defense Command scrambled the jets soon after unverified reports were received around 4 p.m. Wednesday that the contrail, seen near the Turks and Caicos Islands, was headed northwest toward the United States, said Lt. Cmdr. Curtis Jenkins, a spokesman for the Colorado Springs-based group."

http://archives.cnn.com/2002/US/Central/11/28/contrail.scramble/

[DollarBill]

I was stationed at Lackland AFB, adjacent to Kelly AFB - I heard plenty of F-16's and F-18's and this was nothing like that: it was too deep and sound and rumble.

[DollarBill]

Actually, that is a good idea. I have a very good friend that is an Illinois State Trooper, so I'll send him an e-mail to see what he can find.