TheStarPhoenix.com, and Canwest filesMarch 31, 2009 6:48 PMComments (4)
SASKATOON — A meteor the size of a small suitcase is the likely cause of an early morning spectacle Tuesday that surprised early risers in Alberta and Saskatchewan.
Dr. Alan Hildebrand, a geologist at the University of Calgary, said it was likely a meteor that weighed between 10 and 100 kilograms.
Meteors that size fall in Canada about once a week, said Hildebrand. However, weather conditions obscure many such events from being seen.
Using photos of the dust cloud created by the meteor, Hildebrand said it was unlikely the object was man-made because of the speed it was reportedly moving.
“Artificial debris covers a lot of the sky and lasts tens of seconds,” said Hildebrand.
The object appeared around 6:30 a.m. According to one witness who was out for a jog on Saskatoon streets, it looked like a "lit match" going across the sky from east to west.
Another witness, Cheryl Cook-Taylor, was on her way to work in North Battleford when she saw it.
“It kind of glowed green, and it looked like it was falling very, very quickly,” she said. “It just kind of reminded me of a falling star or something.”
Cook-Taylor said she was sorry to have missed the meteor that made national headlines last November when it streaked across the prairie sky, “so it’s kind of neat I saw it this time. I guess it’s good to be up that early in the morning.”
The object was also seen in Calgary, where witness Donna Thompson described what she saw as "a meteor breaking up" in an e-mail sent to the Calgary Herald.
Thompson, who said she was driving on Highway 2 southbound between Olds and Calgary, said she saw the object at about 6:33 a.m. east of the highway. The flash lasted for about two seconds, Thompson said in her e-mail, before dispersing "like fireworks going off."
TheStarPhoenix.com, and Canwest filesMarch 31, 2009 6:48 PM
Byron Hill, a Grade 5 schoolteacher at Raymond Elementary, was out feeding his horses when he spotted the “lightbulb” streaking across the sky.
“It blazed for a few seconds then broke up and faded and flashed a few sparks,” said Hill, adding the sighting sent chills up his spine for a good tens minutes after.
His colleague Sue Fowler was out for her morning walk with a friend when the celestial event occurred.
She said the object lit up the early morning sky with a yellowish-white light and had red sparks coming of it before exploding like fireworks.
“We’ve walked for 18 years and seen a lot of shooting stars and northern lights but nothing like this,” said the Grade 2 teacher. “It was beautiful.” http://www.thestarphoenix.com/news/saskatoon/Flying+object+lights+western+Canada/1448116/story.html
SASKATOON — A meteor the size of a small suitcase is the likely cause of an early morning spectacle Tuesday that surprised early risers in Alberta and Saskatchewan.
Dr. Alan Hildebrand, a geologist at the University of Calgary, said it was likely a meteor that weighed between 10 and 100 kilograms.
Meteors that size fall in Canada about once a week, said Hildebrand. However, weather conditions obscure many such events from being seen.
Using photos of the dust cloud created by the meteor, Hildebrand said it was unlikely the object was man-made because of the speed it was reportedly moving.
“Artificial debris covers a lot of the sky and lasts tens of seconds,” said Hildebrand.
The object appeared around 6:30 a.m. According to one witness who was out for a jog on Saskatoon streets, it looked like a "lit match" going across the sky from east to west.
Another witness, Cheryl Cook-Taylor, was on her way to work in North Battleford when she saw it.
“It kind of glowed green, and it looked like it was falling very, very quickly,” she said. “It just kind of reminded me of a falling star or something.”
Cook-Taylor said she was sorry to have missed the meteor that made national headlines last November when it streaked across the prairie sky, “so it’s kind of neat I saw it this time. I guess it’s good to be up that early in the morning.”
The object was also seen in Calgary, where witness Donna Thompson described what she saw as "a meteor breaking up" in an e-mail sent to the Calgary Herald.
Thompson, who said she was driving on Highway 2 southbound between Olds and Calgary, said she saw the object at about 6:33 a.m. east of the highway. The flash lasted for about two seconds, Thompson said in her e-mail, before dispersing "like fireworks going off."
TheStarPhoenix.com, and Canwest filesMarch 31, 2009 6:48 PM
Byron Hill, a Grade 5 schoolteacher at Raymond Elementary, was out feeding his horses when he spotted the “lightbulb” streaking across the sky.
“It blazed for a few seconds then broke up and faded and flashed a few sparks,” said Hill, adding the sighting sent chills up his spine for a good tens minutes after.
His colleague Sue Fowler was out for her morning walk with a friend when the celestial event occurred.
She said the object lit up the early morning sky with a yellowish-white light and had red sparks coming of it before exploding like fireworks.
“We’ve walked for 18 years and seen a lot of shooting stars and northern lights but nothing like this,” said the Grade 2 teacher. “It was beautiful.” http://www.thestarphoenix.com/news/saskatoon/Flying+object+lights+western+Canada/1448116/story.html
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