'Fireball' meteor lights up Calgary's sky
Some Calgary residents caught what appeared to be a meteor streaking across the sky early on Wednesday morning.
Multiple CTV News viewers sent in video that showed a light moving through the sky above the city just after 6:30 a.m.
A bright flash is seen, illuminating the night sky, before it faded back into darkness, disappearing from view.
Robyn Foret, the president of the Calgary Centre of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, said after reviewing the videos of the event, they can confirm it was a fireball meteor.
“We happen to be in the midst of the Southern Taurids and Northern Taurids meteor showers,” Foret said, in an emailed statement.
“They do overlap going from Sept. 23 to Dec. 8 this year, and while they don’t have a high count of meteors per hour, they are known as being rich in fireballs. It’s likely that is what we saw this morning.”
Shannon Bibe caught a video of the event on her backyard camera at her home in the community of Richmond. Bibe said she did not see the fireball firsthand, but this is the first time she’s captured an event like this on her camera.
A fireball lights up the night sky above Calgary on Nov. 13, 2024. (Courtesy: Shannon Bibe)
The Walia family also sent in a shot of the meteor – describing it as a “fireball” – which could be seen facing south in the city from their home in the northwest.
They said they checked their home’s camera after hearing about a possible meteor sighting on the news.
A fireball lights up the night sky above Calgary on Nov. 13, 2024. (Courtesy: Manjot S Walia)
The American Meteor Society said it received 141 total reports of a fireball seen over Alberta, British Columbia and Saskatchewan, along with several northern states.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Trump picks former congressman Pete Hoekstra to be ambassador to Canada
U.S. president-elect Donald Trump has nominated former diplomat and U.S. congressman Pete Hoekstra to be the American ambassador to Canada.
Genetic evidence backs up COVID-19 origin theory that pandemic started in seafood market
A group of researchers say they have more evidence to suggest the COVID-19 pandemic started in a Chinese seafood market where it spread from infected animals to humans. The evidence is laid out in a recent study published in Cell, a scientific journal, nearly five years after the first known COVID-19 outbreak.
This is how much money you need to make to buy a house in Canada's largest cities
The average salary needed to buy a home keeps inching down in cities across Canada, according to the latest data.
'My two daughters were sleeping': London Ont. family in shock after their home riddled with gunfire
A London father and son they’re shocked and confused after their home was riddled with bullets while young children were sleeping inside.
Smuggler arrested with 300 tarantulas strapped to his body
Police in Peru have arrested a man caught trying to leave the country with 320 tarantulas, 110 centipedes and nine bullet ants strapped to his body.
Boissonnault out of cabinet to 'focus on clearing the allegations,' Trudeau announces
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced embattled minister Randy Boissonnault is out of cabinet.
Baby dies after being reported missing in midtown Toronto: police
A four-month-old baby is dead after what Toronto police are calling a “suspicious incident” at a Toronto Community Housing building in the city’s midtown area on Wednesday afternoon.
Sask. woman who refused to provide breath sample did not break the law, court finds
A Saskatchewan woman who refused to provide a breath sample after being stopped by police in Regina did not break the law – as the officer's request was deemed not lawful given the circumstances.
Parole board reverses decision and will allow families of Paul Bernardo's victims to attend upcoming parole hearing in person
The families of the victims of Paul Bernardo will be allowed to attend the serial killer’s upcoming parole hearing in person, the Parole Board of Canada (PBC) says.