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, according to experts. Robert Lunsford from the American Meteor Society described the event as a “fireball,” which refers to a larger and brighter meteor compared to the usual ones. Typically, meteors are only the size of a pea, but their high speed can make them visible in the night sky.
Lunsford explained that even a meteor the size of a softball can create a flash as bright as the full moon and be classified as a fireball. He mentioned that the flash’s duration ruled out human-made space debris and identified the event as a natural fireball composed of stone, metal, or a combination of both.
Meteorologist and science reporter for CBC News, Johanna Wagstaffe, suggested that the incident likely involved a meteor passing through the atmosphere. She noted an increase in seismic activity around 9:10 p.m. PT and attributed the sonic boom to the meteor’s passage through the atmosphere. Wagstaffe highlighted that meteors are not commonly seen in western North America, making the event significant for observers.
Wagstaffe elaborated on how a sonic boom is formed when an object travels through the upper atmosphere at high speeds, compressing and heating the air in front of it. While the meteor likely burned up, further analysis by various groups and astronomers will provide more insights.
NASA confirmed reports of the meteor over the Pacific Northwest shortly after 9 p.m. on Tuesday, based on data from the American Meteor Society and a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration satellite. The meteor was observed about 98 kilometers above Coquitlam, B.C., traveling at a speed of approximately 33 kilometers per second.
University of British Columbia astronomy professor Brett Gladman mentioned that the fireball was visible from various locations, including Comox, Merritt, and Seattle, indicating its wide observation range. Initial assessments suggest that the fireball resulted from the natural entry of a rocky asteroid fragment, possibly around 10 to 100 centimeters in size, into the earth’s atmosphere.
Gladman explained that the glowing atmosphere during the meteor’s passage and the audible boom were due to the object’s supersonic speed. The fireball appeared to descend north of Coquitlam into a densely forested, mountainous area, making the search for any surviving fragments challenging.
