A bright flash and loud boom witnessed by residents of British Columbia on Tuesday night were caused by a meteor traveling through the earth’s atmosphere, experts have confirmed. Robert Lunsford from the American Meteor Society described the phenomenon as a “fireball,” which refers to a meteor larger and brighter than usual. While most meteors are typically the size of a pea, their high speed can make them visible in the night sky.
According to Lunsford, even a softball-sized meteor can create a flash as bright as a full moon and be classified as a fireball. The duration of the flash ruled out human-made space debris, indicating that the event was a natural fireball composed of stone, metal, or a combination of both.
Meteorologist Johanna Wagstaffe of CBC News explained that seismographs recorded a spike around 9:10 p.m. PT, and the accompanying sonic boom is typical evidence of a meteor passing through the atmosphere. She noted that meteors are not frequently observed in western North America, making the event significant for witnesses.
Wagstaffe elaborated that a sonic boom occurs when an object travels through the upper atmosphere at high speeds, compressing and heating the air in front of it. While the meteor likely disintegrated upon entry, further analysis by various groups and astronomers will provide more insights.
NASA confirmed the meteor sighting over the Pacific Northwest, stating that it appeared about 98 kilometers above Coquitlam, B.C., traveling at approximately 33 kilometers per second. The meteor traveled about 71 kilometers through the upper atmosphere before breaking apart at an altitude of around 65 kilometers above Greenmantle Mountain in Garibaldi Provincial Park.
Astronomy professor Brett Gladman from the University of British Columbia reported that the fireball was visible from locations as far as Comox, Merritt, and Seattle, indicating a wide observation range. Initial assessments suggest that a rocky asteroid fragment measuring around 10 centimeters entered the earth’s atmosphere, causing the fiery display. Gladman later speculated that the fragment might have been up to 100 centimeters in size.
The meteor’s visibility was attributed to the atmosphere heating up as the rock passed through, while the sonic boom resulted from the object’s supersonic speed. Given its descent into a heavily forested, mountainous area north of Coquitlam, locating any surviving fragments on the ground would be challenging.