Canadian Fireball Caused by Ten Ton Meteor

First posted on 11-26-2008

A magnificent fireball that lit up the night skies over Alberta and Saskatchewan, Canada on November 20 has been determined to have been caused by a 10 ton asteroid fragment that exploded when entering the Earth’s atmosphere.

The fireball first appeared as the fragment began to pierce the atmosphere about 50 miles above
Lloydminster, Alberta/Saskatchewan and ended up fragmenting in a series of explosions. The desk-sized rock had penetrated the atmosphere at a sharp 60 degree angle.

Tens of thousands of people reported seeing the arc streak across the sky, described the blue flash or heard the sound of explosions after the meteor had passed. Sensing equipment and security cameras on the ground also recorded the event and scientists are asking companies to keep their security tapes so they can be studied for any information about what had occurred.

The tapes, as well as interviews with observers on the ground, have helped determine the area where fragments may have landed. A large number of meteorites from this asteroid fragment are expected to have made it to Earth because of the size and relatively slower velocity of the meteor when it entered the atmosphere.

Hildebrand expects that a number of rocks as large as a football could be discovered along with many more smaller meteorites.

Fireballs of this size only occur over Canada about once every five years. Approximately ten fireballs of this size occur somewhere over the Earth each year.