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Watchers gaze up in wonder as light flashes across sky
Laura Drake and Elise Stolte, with files from Jamie Hall, The Edmonton Journal; with files from Saskatoon StarPhoenix
Published: Friday, November 21, 2008EDMONTON - It looked like a missile, one man said, and lit up the evening sky bright as midday, said another, and, as it blazed over the city and across the Prairies, it flashed colours that ran the spectrum.
Hundreds in Edmonton and perhaps thousands across Western Canada saw a flaming object flash across the sky Thursday evening.
People described it as green, yellow, purple or blue, and said it appeared as either an explosion or an object streaking through the sky.
A photo from an amateur video clearly shows a burning object, likely a meteor, plunging to Earth last night.
Global Edmonton
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Andrew Bartlett, 63, was trying to film planes passing over his 10th-floor apartment at 103rd Street and Jasper Avenue when he saw what looked like a bright ball of flame.
He held his camera steady and caught two seconds of it on tape. The object seemed to burn out just before it reached the horizon.
"The right place at the right time. It's a million-in-one chance," Bartlett said, marvelling at the video and his good fortune.
Adam Baxter, a peace officer with the Town of Devon, also caught the object on video. He was near the end of his shift when he saw the fiery light through his vehicle's windshield. He quickly hit a button on his front dash camera.
The camera continually records, and the button activates a feature that saves the last 30 seconds of whatever it was pointed at.
"It's just like, wow, what was that?" he said. "I was more shocked than anything."
Since he was only 15 kilometres away from the airport, he thought it might be a plane falling out of the sky, and had to check with colleagues at the office.
"When I first saw it, it kind of looked like a shooting star," he said. "Then it got bigger and exploded into this ball of flame. Definitely not just your shooting star."
Edmonton International Airport spokesman Jim Rudolph said "the skies east of the airport lit up" at 5:27 p.m.
Sightings came from across the Prairies; from as far south as Medicine Hat and as far north as Beauval, Sask., 600 kilometres from Edmonton.
Marcel Gobeil, who lives on a farm west of Beaumont, was in his living room when he heard what he describes as a "loud boom," followed by a bright, colourful light in the sky.
"At first, I thought it was fireworks," said Gobeil. "I've never seen anything like it; it was green and blue and then turned to bright red. It was pretty big."
Gobeil said he thought the object hit the ground about 10 seconds later.
"It seemed like it fell on Beaumont, but it's more likely it landed in Manitoba or Saskatchewan if it was a meteorite," he said.
Although many witnesses who contacted The Journal claimed to see something land, that was likely an optical illusion, said Chris Herd, an associate professor in the University of Alberta's department of earth and atmospheric sciences, and curator of the university's meteorite collection.
"What we probably saw was a fireball, which is the result of a rock coming into the atmosphere," he said.
Though the fireball was a bright light several kilometres up in the sky, it would have appeared much closer to anyone who saw it.
"What we know about fireballs is that they're bright burning up for a certain amount of time in the atmosphere, but then they stop burning brightly. If there's a rock that continues after that, it's falling in dark flight," Herd said.
Herd said fireballs are common, but don't generally happen over populated areas.
"Something as bright as this is pretty rare," he said.
Shawn Mitchler was pumping gas at Family Confectionery on Highway 16 at Radisson, about 60 kilometres northwest of Saskatoon, when the sky flashed green and yellow.
"It seemed like fireworks or a missile coming down," said Mitchler, who estimates the light show lasted five to 10 seconds. "My heart just started racing because I didn't know what it was."
If something did hit the ground, Herd said, it would be an exciting find.
"It's not often that something actually lands and is found, because of all the factors that are working against you," he said.
The frozen space rock itself wasn't on fire, said Richard Huziak of Saskatoon, a member of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada.
"They're moving anywhere from about 30 up to about 70 kilometres per second. That's about 200-and-some-thousand kilometres per hour. When they hit the atmosphere, they burn by friction. The atmosphere heats up and ionizes all the gas around it. You've got very high temperatures -- tens of thousands of degrees for a few seconds."
Huziak thinks the meteorite likely landed somewhere near the Alberta border. It may be possible to determine a more precise location. Fireball video cameras designed to begin recording when a bright light appears in the sky are located in Saskatoon, Regina, Moose Jaw, Edmonton and Calgary.
Few meteorites cause damage, because the rocks often disintegrate as they travel through the atmosphere.
Herd suggested witnesses contact the Canadian Space Agency's meteorites and impacts advisory committee (http://miac.uqac.ca).
ldrake@thejournal.canwest.com
© Edmonton Journal 2008
COMMENTS ON THIS STORY
Add Your Comment
a-ror
Thu, Nov 20, 08 at 10:41 PM
Getting a drink and saw this huge light in the sky and saw a big red ball fly past south cooking lake!
Martin
Thu, Nov 20, 08 at 10:47 PM
i missed the whole damn thing! Was driving north from the south side of Edm.. heard about it on the radio. I always miss the neat stuff!! I had a small meteroite fizzle out in front of my car as I was driving between Lamont and Bruderhiem years ago. Oh well, back to my boring life watching sportsnet!
Kev
Thu, Nov 20, 08 at 10:50 PM
The second coming?
Kelly
Thu, Nov 20, 08 at 10:52 PM
I was in the livingroom (windows face to the south and east) watching the tube and the night sky literally (for 2 or 3 seconds) was brighter than daylight. Light was streaming into the house for a brief moment. It was almost bright like lights on an aircraft (white light). I went outside on the deck and heard nothing unusual but looking up there appeared to be a smoke trail (for lack of a better description) hanging in the sky in a ESE direction.
BTW, I live in Lloydminster.
Jason
Thu, Nov 20, 08 at 10:52 PM
I was driving Northwest on Hwy 14 around Irma (Wainwright); saw the sky light up like day for 2 seconds but did not see the actual fireball.
Chezney
Thu, Nov 20, 08 at 10:58 PM
It was probably that astronaut's bag of tools.
CC
Thu, Nov 20, 08 at 11:02 PM
It was the tool belt from the space station
Devon
Thu, Nov 20, 08 at 11:04 PM
My partner and I were driving into Fort McMurray from Albian Sands...when we got to the top of super test at about 5:25pm a bright fireball with a dark center droped from the sky...it didn't burn out it hit the earth!!!
jen
Thu, Nov 20, 08 at 11:06 PM
May be the world is finally coming to a end!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Lucas Mayotte
Thu, Nov 20, 08 at 11:07 PM
At about 1830 this evening I was outside having a smoke with a couple friends when the sky lit up as bright as day with a couple bright flickers of light. At first we thought it was lightening because lightening does occur at this time of year but with starry skiies and in the evening this is very unlikely. This occured over Saskatoon, SK and have talked to friends that live 15 mins out of the city that were sitting in their house when the light lit up their home like day. Anyone know whats going on?
Jeff
Thu, Nov 20, 08 at 11:08 PM
In the early 80s out in the country near Devon, I saw the same thing. It was about 9pm and the sky just lit up for about five to ten seconds. It was like a big light was turned on. Didn't see it tonight but it's unforgettable.
Curious
Thu, Nov 20, 08 at 11:10 PM
Anyone get a video of it?
Emperor Dorn
Thu, Nov 20, 08 at 11:13 PM
Its was just a weather Ballon
Earth people
andrea
Thu, Nov 20, 08 at 11:14 PM
Hey guys, its ok, It was just the aliens commin' to pick up my pug.
Ryan
Thu, Nov 20, 08 at 11:16 PM
I agree with Chezney
No Name
Thu, Nov 20, 08 at 11:21 PM
i was on the henday and 91st overpass when i seen behind me the sky light up, then i hit a red light turned around and seen a fireball i think i seen it land just south of there too but i could be crazy
Ditzy Chic
Thu, Nov 20, 08 at 11:21 PM
That rumble was probably the reindeers`hoves hitting the ground in an attempt to stop - they probably skidded for a mile in this wind. Poor Santa!
astronaut
Thu, Nov 20, 08 at 11:28 PM
did anyone see my tool bag? 3 wrenches and 1 grease gun full of space stuff!
astronaut
Thu, Nov 20, 08 at 11:30 PM
did anyone see my tool bag? 3 wrenches and 1 grease gun full of space stuff!
Geoff Falconar
Thu, Nov 20, 08 at 11:33 PM
I got the most amazing view of it. I was driving East on 20 Ave about to turn left onto 94 St. Directly in front of me, almost perfectly centered in my windshield I saw the large, brilliant orange ball with bright blue tail behind it coming down nearly vertically. At first I thought it was a flare or large firework coming down. Then I realized it was way too big and bright. It was a bright orange ball trailing a long, electric blue streak like a falling flare or firework, but WAY bigger. As it came down, a couple times it flashed, lighting up the sky. When I saw clouds around it light up for what appeared to be a couple km radius, that's when I could get sense scale of this thing and knew it was not a flare. From where I was, it was coming down almost vertically and looked like it was headed to the south-east quadrant of Millwoods, but when I hear people from hundreds of kms away seeing, I realize it could be anywhere. The whole event lasted about 3 - 4 seconds at most. The fireball disappeared completely as it neared the ground. I rolled down my window to listen for a bang, but heard nothing. I've never seen fall that fast. I noticed several airplanes in the vicinity, most of which must have got a very good view of it. It was completely unlike anything I have ever seen and I was amazed at how good and clear of a view I got of it. Once in a lifetime event, for sure. If someone does find it on the ground, maybe I'll eat a piece of it and become like Superman!
John/Eleanor
Thu, Nov 20, 08 at 11:37 PM
Arrived home from work approx. 5:30, noticed a bright light towards the north. Out of the corner of my eye it looked like it had a tail of light angleing down. We live in Provost, ALberta.
Melissa
Thu, Nov 20, 08 at 11:37 PM
I was in Lonerock, Sask (25 kms south of Lloydminster) I was the bright white light, it was like day light. Then it was followed by a huge rumble, like thunder. The entire house was shaking, I ran outside and could here a rumbling sound in the sky above the house and could see smoke in the sky.
Herb
Thu, Nov 20, 08 at 11:38 PM
Saw the big flash here at Lashburn Sask. then a rumble and I could feel the rumble as well
dibo
Thu, Nov 20, 08 at 11:38 PM
I saw two firballs at same time.
Sandy
Thu, Nov 20, 08 at 11:42 PM
We saw it in Sturgeon County and someone said they saw some debris around Edmonton Trailer. Well, they have been saying that the sky is falling... literally now!
You Know
Thu, Nov 20, 08 at 11:43 PM
They make those tools out of special metals that re-enter with a bang!
Rob
Thu, Nov 20, 08 at 11:43 PM
I seen what appeared to be lightning at first coming out of the IGA mall here in Whitecourt and looked toward the southeast and seen the sky light up. Looked pretty odd for all I know. Turned on Global Edmonton and it's likely a meteor but reports still need confirmation...
Nikki
Thu, Nov 20, 08 at 11:44 PM
I also saw what looked to be a ball of fire heading east in Edmonton. It looked to come from the north heading south across the sky. The ball of fire got bigger and bigger with a tail behind it. then a big flash and then nothing. My comment as I saw it to my son was WTH was that?
Jenny
Thu, Nov 20, 08 at 11:45 PM
It could have been a meteorite or it could be Santa given the boom which would account for the speed at which he travels. Kinda early for the old boy to show up - who knows! I too miss some of these awesome events.
cara
Thu, Nov 20, 08 at 11:47 PM
It did get really windy after it for a while......
gbush
Thu, Nov 20, 08 at 11:55 PM
one of ricky rays hailmarys finally landing
Sloan
Thu, Nov 20, 08 at 11:55 PM
I noticed that it fragmented into many "orange embers" before it reached the ground. I was driving south on the Josephburg range road, just south of Josephburg, at the time.
DoRayMe
Thu, Nov 20, 08 at 11:58 PM
What`s with this Santa stuff. NOT DECEMBER!
GEE
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 12:03 AM
i was driving south on hwy 63 around wandering river and noticed a flash of light from the east. i did not see a meteor or tail. it was like a lightning strike with no lightning.that was no meteor mabey another Roswell humm.
Nicole
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 12:03 AM
I was sitting on the couch and see it, I said out loud "What the H**L is that?" IT was really weird looking.
N
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 12:03 AM
Traveling North from Edmonton towards Barrhead, witnessed blue
with white in the sky for a few seconds, very bright. It was high in the sky. Had to ask my passenger if that is actually what was in the sky. A close call??hopefully a once in a lifetime experience.
Jeff
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 12:04 AM
We're in Battleford, Sask, & at about 6.30 pm my wife screamed, saying that she saw this very bright light in the western sky. It lasted only a couple of seconds & thought she saw (what ever this was) falling to the ground close to the front of our house. I went out & noticed a trail in the sky which looked like a fuzzy jet-stream. No noise was heard.
J.O.
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 12:07 AM
I witnessed this first-hand. Driving home, Twp 514, RR 12, just north of Lloydminster. It was shocking - the sky lit up white, and my first thought was that it was a nuke! (stupid, I know) The light subsided after 3 seconds or so, I looked up and a fireball was streaking south towards Lloyd. Glowing orange and red, tail of flame ... a real-deal meteorite! Very thrilling!
Local radio took call after call with eyewitnesses from Fort Mac down to Medicine Hat. This rock could have entered the atmosphere in the NWT and crashed in Wyoming, for anybody knows. That's a 1,000 - 2,000 km trip!
Justing
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 12:07 AM
I think maybe this is the phenomena of atmospheric discharge.
TREVOR
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 12:09 AM
I just got into my van at 5:26 in the Wallmart parking lot in Leduc. I was going west when the sky lit up in a blue/green flash, bright as day for about two seconds. At first I thought it was a parking lot light blazing on and off. I phoned my wife in Hobbema and she saw it while outside my mom's house to the North. She thought it looked like fire works steaking down and breaking up with a huge flash.
Marc
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 12:12 AM
I saw a bright light also about 5:30pm too. Then it got really windy after.
PROF. PEARSON
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 12:13 AM
The chances of anything coming from Mars are a million to one.
Bobbi Petigrew III
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 12:17 AM
A rock coming into the atmosphere? OMG, Dwayne Johnson's been in space? Does his career have no bounds? The Rock RAWKS!!!
Kris
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 12:27 AM
One request: that people stop saying "I seen it." The past of "to see" is "saw," everyone. You make us sound like a bunch of hicks out here! If Albertans would stay in school rather than heading to the oilsands, we wouldn't have such ridiculous language problems.
Aliens!
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 12:28 AM
K it was definitely an Alien space shuttle. Don't listen to the lies of the government trying to tell you it was simply a meteor. ALIENS! ALIENS!
Richard
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 12:34 AM
I was on my way home to Coaldale comming from Taber(4:30) on highway 3. I was in the passenger seat of the work truck and saw that thing in the air. I watched it for a good 3 minutes before it vanished behind the clouds. I knew it was going to fast to be a plane, but at the time I had no idea what it could have been.
Now I know.
Mallory
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 12:45 AM
I live in Montana and was about 24 miles south of the canadian border. I didn't personally see this, but there were several people whom I spoke with who did.... It appears as though the range here was quite large...
mitch
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 12:54 AM
It literally lite up my whole house and I went out side and I could hear the rumble I live near chauvin AB
Amazed
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 12:55 AM
It appeared to be just to the north of Strasbourg, SK. I thought the cell tower had exploded and was sparking bright red and orange fireworks. It looked like one big firework with some smaller ones spraying from it. Really neat to witness. WOW!
haha
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 12:55 AM
CHEZNEY! You figured it out!
Saskabush
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 12:56 AM
Saw the light in Marshall, Sk, there was a smoke trail heading Southeast and about 45 seconds to a minute after the lights there was a big Boom. there was one person in Lloyd that called into the radio station and said that picture frames were knocked off of their walls!!
Neal
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 01:01 AM
I live in Athlone. From where I stood it appeared due east and looked like a missile heading for the refineries.
Ellena
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 01:02 AM
It;s amazing how it appeared to be different colors to different people depending on their location. I am in Lloyd and saw a super bright blue-white light, kind of like those awful LED headlights- fill the entire sky and then it was gone. Absolutely amazing...it didn;t register at first, my intitial thought was "oh, it's time to close the blinds." ha
Aaron
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 01:04 AM
REPENT YOU SLOTHFUL, EVIL SINNERS. THE END IS NEAR. Consider yourself warned HE HE
Follower
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 01:07 AM
IT'S GOD HE IS COMING...THE DAY OF RECKONING IS AT HAND!!!
Jomo Jones
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 01:16 AM
Great new! I would like to know more about it..
montanamomma
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 01:20 AM
we saw it from approx 45 miles out of Great Falls, MT and thought it was actually something that had hit near Great Falls...that's how close it looked! It was quite scary because we were trying to get home to our 5 children in Great Falls and feared for their safety...right after it happened, I was actually expecting to see a mushroom cloud...or atleast a large fire! YIKES!
soma
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 01:32 AM
i saw it from my dinning room window, it looked like a shooting star, with more color, so bright and beautiful!
Russ
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 01:39 AM
Santa was test driving his sled and someone shot him down! I think I seen him fall from the sky!!!
CATHIE
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 01:44 AM
5:25 p.m. I saw it, like a red ball high over my neighbour's house, directly east of us in OXFORD.
Abdullah
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 01:47 AM
hey guys, dont worry about it it was probably a meteor. i seen something like you talking about in 1999 over Ankara, Turkey. it was an obvious big rock entering vertical and burning in the atmosphere and it was a very bright scene, lighten up whole Ankara for couple of seconds, after burning of rock completed there was a trail of combustion behind it. did anyone see a trail? osmanli911@gmail.com
mel
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 01:50 AM
I live in primate sk and My 6 yr old sone seen it I didn't believe him when he told me the hole town lite up and then went dark. I told him it must of been the street lights going on and off even though he tried hard to convince me other wise, I didn't believe him until his dad called and said the same thing than I started laughing only thing is his dad was at forestburg and he said it headed south east and my sister came here and seen it as she was coming home She said it flashed four times and then lite up heading northeast of us She could even see the trail of smoke. I made sure my 6 year old relized just how lucky he was to beable to have seen that and its a good story to tell his kids some day.
Darlene
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 01:58 AM
I was on flight 174 heading to Calgary, when I was looking out the window, and I saw a bright light. The bright light looked like a ball of fire, and it looked like it was about the size of our plane. The thing scared me. I thought maybe a plane exploded in mid air, and it looked like it was comming toward us. The bright ball of fire went down, and it disappeared just as fast as it appeared.
Danny Boy
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 02:11 AM
The sky lit up like a mid summer thunderstorm all the way up in Cold Lake. Noticed the flash and it came from the South!
MIchelle
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 02:34 AM
We witnessed this in Lloydminster, AB -- was directly overhead and landed in the south. WOW -- amazing to witness!!
Tracy
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 02:43 AM
I was going up Idylwyld on my way home from work.. in Saskatoon.. and saw a huge flash of light to the west... didn't know what to think! and now.. wow.. pretty cool to have witnessed it..
Jim
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 02:53 AM
I happened to be looking out the living room window and saw the object falling. It looked about as big as the streetlight outside but it was much much brighter. From my angle it was directly east and fell from 12:00 to about 5:00. At the time it had a bright white center with a ring of red around it and the tail was thin and trailed it for a long distance. I didn't see it break up, the trees blocked the view. Without knowing how big it was it looked like it fell inside the city but if it was as big as all the reports are saying then if was probably much further away and fell East of the city but not too far South.
DarrenL
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 03:37 AM
I was looking out the window to the East and thought to myself "wow that was an awfully big lightening strike!" Then I realized there was no thunderstorm and it's below zero. Then I figured a bomb must have went off. I wasn't sure what to think.
SAM
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 03:38 AM
The sky lit up orange and yellow...looked liked someone shot up a flare... I was outside at the time, getting into my car after work. I don't know if it was in my head, but i could smell the fire burning from it.
beautiful. we'll probably never anything like that again
osmanli torunu
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 03:48 AM
i have seen an similar event in 1999 over Ankara, Turkey. But it was an obvious one big rock entering the atmosphere horizontally and moving quite fast.
There was a very bright light over the whole Ankara City during the combustion of asteroid for about 3-4 secs. after combustion completed there was a massive trail of combustion behind it.
But after i see the video of this event in Canada i can tell that that one is look like something different.
why?
-in event at Ankara there was a single color bright light, this one has multiple colors.
-in event at Ankara there was a bright yellowish white light during the whole combustion and it was the same amount of light for all burning period, in Canada event it is quite different the amount of light is changing, sometimes no light.
what can it be?
in my opinion, in Canada event there were possibly more than one rock which are having different chemical compositions. This is how you can explain different colors.
Which are a group of rocks traveling together in a unique order, maybe couple rows of rocks entering the atmosphere with different distances btw. every rock.
check below for the explanation of system
1st line: h(5km)j(2km)k(1 km)l&k(1km)
(1km)
2nd line: u(3km)g
(5km)
3rd line: z(9km)t
(4km)
4th line: r(1km)o(6km)p
(xkm)
" " " " "
(every letter is indicating a rock with different chemical composition, a is showing smallest, z is showing biggest radius, (x km) indicating distance btw rocks, lines moving together, bigger letter should emit more light)
that is how you can explain the brightness of light is changing during the event.
i hope i am helpful. have a good day.
Abdullah from Turkey.
osmanli911@gmail.com
Maria
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 03:57 AM
I was driving towards Edmonton near Leduc and my two year old daughter said "LOOK, WOOOOWWW" and was amazed to see the orange like fire ball in the sky and when it "blew" up the entire sky lit up. Didnt know what to call it to my daughter at the time, kind of thought it was a huge firework or something. Very interesting. Would love to hear what that really was! Definitely marking it in her baby book.
Dan
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 04:12 AM
Driving north ,1.5 Hrs from Calgary and seen it east .That was awesome.Hopefully someone finds something
Paul
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 05:47 AM
Gosh No, it was way bigger than that, somebody should check in east - We may have another NFLD out there,
doug
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 07:15 AM
it blew my mind! i was on my balcony, having a smoke, and i live near the municipal airport in edmonton. i was looking east, watching smal planes take off when all of a sudden a huge light fell to the ground and grew in intensity as it went down. i thought it was either a small plane or a bomb - seriously, it was otherworldly looking! i've seen meteorites and this didn't resemble anything i'd ever seen before.. WAY to low on the the horizon and bright too, changing colors as it went straight down. i phoned the police!
Michelle
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 07:43 AM
My husband and son were out at the time and seen it here in Saskatoon, SK.
Rolande
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 08:52 AM
Meteorites have tails, this did not have a tail, you can bet that its already been removed whatever it was or is....
Ted
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 08:55 AM
Driving b/w Biggar and Asquith, saw bright light and trial of smoke
J
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 08:55 AM
It was really the Toronto Maple Leafs skating superspeed past the Oilers again! HAHAHA What was it guys? 5-2?? hahaha
Betty
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 09:01 AM
We were driving thru Hardisty about 5:30 when we saw the bright light that lit up the sky. It looked like someone set off fireworks. The object looked to be the size of a basketball. It looked like it crashed into the ground northeast of Hardisty with a glowing orange ring around it.
Greg
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 09:23 AM
Global news said that a farmer had sent a message via email to them saying it had landed in one of his fields. But, it was too dark to determine if it did or not, so he will go and attempt to find the object when morning light arrives.
s
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 09:24 AM
i`m here in morinville. it was awesome,i was in the kitchen was looking on the window for my husband.i saw a light in the sky,it was amazing.
ERNEST PL0X
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 09:27 AM
Im in meadow lake sk, AND I SEEEN IT! :O
scary.
Betty
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 09:31 AM
Friend & I saw it on 87 Ave just as we were about to turn into West Ed, sure looked like it landed very close to us, seemed about 4 car lengths away, was very bright orange & yellow and got so close to ground so it seemed, then poof was out.
karen
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 09:51 AM
I saw it here in vermilion,it lighted up the south side of vermilion at 5.30 last night,
tom
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 09:58 AM
now if that was a guided missle heading for mass distruction of our country...whats this say about the protection we are supposed to have ?????
Clayton
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 10:02 AM
I was heading north on the highway to slop the pigs, when I clearly saw a large round UFO made of burning rock flying at a downward angle off to the east. It appeared to have a large tail made of smoke and extremely annoyed High Intensity headlights, which lit up the sky. When it hit the ground little green guys started popping out like clowns from a smartcar.
Doug
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 10:07 AM
Driving south on Hwy 2 last night by the airport. Saw the sky light up and was able to see the fireball. It was amazing at first I thought it was a mid air collision, being so close to the airport. Will never forget it glad I was able to see this!
G Fair
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 10:07 AM
Relax everyone, it was just my retirement portfolio.
K.R. in Tampa, FL
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 10:08 AM
It was the $100K tool bag that the Astronauts from the Space Shuttle lost the other day on their space walk. Glad our tax dollars provided such a great show! We're burning money, left and right, in much less spectacular ways these days! Go, Oilers!
john
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 10:10 AM
I recall something like this happening about twenty years ago when I was driving towards Slave Lake. I was younger then and nearly went off the road in fright.
Yvonne
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 10:15 AM
we also had a pretty good display here in Lloydminster. Also I heard what sounded like thunder, after the light had disapeared. Thought a transformer had blown up at first, but it was much to bright for that. It was quite something!
aaron
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 10:19 AM
i seen it last night the whole sky lit up like lighting, by delia alberta
0k1ks
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 10:34 AM
...i'm on my way home to Beaumont along 50 st when i saw this some kind of 'fireworks'...i ask myself, is it new year already??
Kelly Tomyn
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 10:55 AM
I was sitting in my van outside Stony Plain Safeway. Suddenly there was a flash of light and what looked like a ball of fire. My sons Dillon and Blade were able to wittness this once in a lifetime event as well
teri
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 10:59 AM
I saw something like that in camrise alberta last year about this time. It was south of Stoney Creek park . Came acroos the sky from west to east.
D
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 10:59 AM
My son and I saw it as I was driving home and we wondered how the sky could light up so much and become daytime and suddenly it's nighttime again. It was bizarre! Glad I caught the newscast on t.v. where they were talking about it. Made more sense then.
Kirk
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 11:10 AM
when they look for this " Object " that streaked across the skies lastnight, They will have to look deep. Espeicialy at 16,000 to 20,000 miles an hour, plus that fact it will be in small fragments. Look for high levels of Iron and silver. Thse elements are what gave off those colors that were seen. Happy hunting. Wish I was there.
Kirk
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 11:11 AM
when they look for this " Object " that streaked across the skies lastnight, They will have to look deep. Espeicialy at 16,000 to 20,000 miles an hour, plus that fact it will be in small fragments. Look for high levels of Iron and silver. Thse elements are what gave off those colors that were seen. Happy hunting. Wish I was there.
Smile
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 11:15 AM
Thanks everyone you "brightened" my day...lol
huskyhaven
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 11:18 AM
Wow, I saw it in Tofield, it looked like it fell east and the the green flash looked like intense lightening. I didn't see the fireball, but my dad saw it south east of highway 14. I wonder where it fell.
Vicki
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 11:39 AM
I was driving home just east of Elk Island Park and got a good look at it. An orange ball with a very bright and very large blue-white tail heading towards the ground. Lasted about 2 seconds and then just disappeared. Looked like it was heading for Tofield but probably was much farther east.
Allie Girl
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 11:46 AM
I was in Ryley AB and witnessed what appeared to be about the size of the moon followed by a tail of dust. It appeared to be coming from the NE direction. It appeared to be just above the tree line and from it's appearance I was sure it would've landed within about 200 kms east or SE of where I was driving. I am excited to hear confirmation of what it was I witnessed. I know it was one of those once in a lifetime opportunities. I should buy a lottery ticket!
fikre
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 11:48 AM
Nothing new between the earth and the sky; if you noticed its written in the Bible. its just the time but for the unbelivers its NEW
JD
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 11:49 AM
I thought I was seeing things since I been sick so I thought maybe the sinutab has taken its toll on me and I am seeing dillusional sights. Anyways, its was approx 5:22pm when I was walking along 82 street and 118 avenue looking east towards colisuem LRT station, it looked like a lighting strike but then I stopped to hear the boom of the thunder and then again realized its not raining, I just kept walking and kinda felt wierd cause I thought I was losing my marbles. Thankfully I watched the news and heard something about this meteor - not I can rest assure I am sane.
Liz
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 12:03 PM
I happened to be watching TV at approx. 5:30 pm, facing my east window, and saw a powerful bright light illuminate the whole eastern sky. It certainly got my attention, and I immediately wondered what it could be.
I live on the southside.
Larry
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 12:09 PM
I think it was that toolkit that the astronaut lost in space the other day!
Naomi Sanders
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 12:21 PM
It was amazing! While my children and I were heading south down a busy street in Bonnyville, AB we saw what looked like an explosion in the sky. The sky lit up for a few seconds and there was a huge ball of white plummeting towards earth. My three-year old said, "That was a pretty big fireworks."
Strunk
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 12:28 PM
I think Kris has a point: Albertans need to pay more attention to their grammar! I do. I'm panning to visit my grammar this Christmas! She bakes good.
Grey
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 12:29 PM
War of the World's?! :)
Bill Ghuman
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 12:29 PM
It was exact time 5:27 p.m. . I was in Millwoods Town Centre Canadian Tire's parking lot and getting out of my truck facing east side. I saw a very bright light falling down very fast over 'Daly Grove' area just south of 23 Ave. IT was amazing sky happening, I have ever seen in my life.
JV
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 12:43 PM
I missed it!
Although, I did find footage of it online, so now I don't feel so bad. The internet is awesome.
dp
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 01:16 PM
made the valley of Fort Quapelle stunning
george
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 01:32 PM
i didn't see the bright light, rocketing towards earth, but i did just read H.G. Wells fantastic War of the Worlds. Remember the bright meteorites crashing to earth. Remember what they were? Let's at least surrender to these visitors from another world with open arms.
drewbuddy
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 01:39 PM
was there any one who was rained upon by ash? makes sense doesn't it? something burns up, there's always something left over....
Jon Malone
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 01:40 PM
This is a hoax - I didn't see anything and neither did you. can we please just move on, people??
Jas
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 01:43 PM
how sad i missed it
no one saw it here in calgary i guess
it would have been awesome to see it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Uh oh
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 02:02 PM
They're here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Speeder
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 02:08 PM
I was heading home at that time and saw a flash. I thought it was photo radar. Glad it was a just a meteorite.
Rhonda
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 02:09 PM
I was driving east on a country road near Viking, AB and a huge fireball with a long tail passed directly in front of my windshield. It was shocking!
Darlene
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 02:26 PM
Driving east on 118 Ave. stopped at a red light and talking to my friend when we saw this bright flash that lit up the sky. He said "what was that" and I said it is too late in the year to be lightning, maybe an explosion. Interesting to have witnessed such a phenomenon!
Thunder Bay
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 02:32 PM
i was sitting in a park about a mounth ago and me and 3 other freinds were sitting in a park and we looked up at a sky and we seen something soar across the sky we thought it was a shooting star didnt really think nothing of it but it took like 2 minutes to get across the sky and as it went across the sky it broke off in little peices before it ended .. what could that of been
Chris
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 02:33 PM
I seen that in Madow Lake sk!
Everywhere you looked had a blue light it was pretty cool!
BOB Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 12:41 PM
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 02:49 PM
It came from outer space that was only the small one maybe there are bigger ones to follow in the future.
Annie
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 02:52 PM
Me and my boyfriend shawn were sitten on the coutch out sidde. in medicinehat alberta.. and there was a huuuge flash of light.. i though it was lightig but it lit the whole shy. it was craaaazy.. later on that niight my aumtie come ovver and said i think we saw a ufo...lol it was funnay we herd on the radio this morning it was a meteorite hahah couldent believe it.. i wournder were it hit??? or if it did it..?
brian
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 03:00 PM
its the economy
ET
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 03:08 PM
I'm going home!
thebus
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 03:12 PM
My broker was right...the sky is really falling...
Andrew
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 03:25 PM
Goodness! Gracious! Great...
TF
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 03:31 PM
I missed it, too ! I'm glad somebody got some video of it. And really people - is it so difficult to get the "I saw..." vs "I seen..." concept?? Oh yes, also, "should have" vs "should of"... "must have gone..." vs "must have went..." . There is, apparently, a solid need for some remedial English classes !
Saw it in Drumheller
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 03:33 PM
Happen to see it out my front window, it was amazing how bright it was. I have never seen one before, glad I was lucky enough to see this one.
RAYRAY
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 04:04 PM
i saw it when i was playing halo 3 live haha
Stephanie Chan
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 04:12 PM
SUPERMAN!
Tammy Brouwer
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 04:14 PM
We have gotten word that it hit not to far from Wilkie saskatchewan that other pieces that would of broken off did hit in areas around North Battleford.
spaceman Dave
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 04:15 PM
Okay now that I've landed can someone beem me back up, there's no intelligent life down here...............
Sherrie
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 04:25 PM
East of Highway 21, directly to my left around 5:25 pm , there was a huge light in the sky. I thought at first it was lightening as I heard a rumble also. Then the sky turned orange ,so I looked to my left and saw a huge fire ball break apart ...then blackness. Unable to keep looking I only saw three large pieces and a few smaller ones.I had a sick feeling in my stomach thinking at first it was a plane then realized there was no explosion on the ground. It was amazing when I realized what it could be.
Katie
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 04:26 PM
Well now I feel cheated. Everyone else saw this great fantastic fireball that lit up the sky with all these amazing colors, and all i saw was what looked exactly like lightning!
hp
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 04:40 PM
The Ironcreek meteorite, the first or second largest in Canada, came down just north of Hardisty.
Bryan
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 04:58 PM
i thought i was getting beamed from the police chopper looked up and saw it ne edmonton
Buck
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 05:23 PM
It was the soul of Johnny Cash singing "Ring of Fire." If you listened carefully as he passed over, you could hear "I fell for you like a child! Oh, but the fire was wild..."
Tawnie
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 05:42 PM
Wish i could have saw it but i hear lots of people saying that is was see from Prince Albert To..??
Peter K
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 05:47 PM
It fell just outside my farm house near Oyen. After the dust settled I saw two figures emerge from the crater and they started moving towards me, but then I don't know what happened because I blacked out...I have a strange mark on my stomach like I was operated on or something...I'm scared!
AHEM!
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 05:52 PM
This comment has nothing to do with what happened yesterday.. I just want to say that if I had to pick a funny comment out of all the ones posted here, it would be the one posted by SPEEDER... OMG, you can't imagine how much you have made me laugh...and I am still laughing! MIKE's AND SEAN's were also very funny! Cheers!!
thebus
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 06:26 PM
Spaceman Dave--you are right, because it did apparently land in Saskatchewan...
bevan
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 06:33 PM
i was watching war movies all day i thought i was a atom bomb and i jumped back into my car
John
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 07:18 PM
Wow, so many witnesses. If it did impact the ground was anyone nearby? Have any pieces been found yet? I suppose the different color's were caused by metal's it contained (?) and do meteor's normaly cause such a multi colorfull display?
claire t
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 07:46 PM
Hi. I got a phone call from my mother last night, she told me that she just saw a great big fire ball flying through the sky, she had said that it seemed like it was very close. I just wanted to let you know that she lives just outside of St.Paul Alberta approx 19 kms south east. She told me that it passed by around 5:30pm. I wish I got a chance to see it. thanks
Mathew 24, Nov 21,08 at 6p
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 08:08 PM
The sign of coming and the end of the world
science
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 08:57 PM
Those who 'heard' the meteor fall must be dreaming, or out of their senses. The speed of sound is much slower than the speed of light!!!
Jaci R
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 10:06 PM
We just saw the same event in Dallas Texas. We were driving home around 8:15pm Friday night and saw what looked like a ball of fire. It moved very quickly changing colors from yellow to green and blue. It was amazing and we could not figure out or make any sense of what it was. We went home and turned on the news to see a short story on the same event that happened in Edmonton last night. Strange. Very strange...
Melanie
Fri, Nov 21, 08 at 11:06 PM
I live in Burlington, Ontario and saw the orangey beam of light around midnight. Spectacular. I could not see the ball of light at the bottom, it was a little cloudy. I was amazed to see flecks of red and yellow travelling up the beam of light. I did not know what it was until I read this article today!
Blossom
Sat, Nov 22, 08 at 12:26 AM
I too was one of the lucky ones that witnessed the spectacular meteor sighting. However does there always have to be idiotic people out there who feel the 'need' to to "cheapen" this wonderful (perhaps once in a lifetime) event by writing in to say they "SEEN IT" and suggest it was Santa Claus, ailiens, astronauts tool box falling from space, someones ego ...etc...you people are just really jealous you were not fortunate enough to witness this event.
Keep your tall tales for the playground because intelligent people do not find your stories humerous. How old are you people - four???
Go back to watching your cartoons and leave the grown ups to tell what they really saw. Truthfully we are not amused!
Murray Kat
Sat, Nov 22, 08 at 12:32 AM
Likly just another Alberta scud missle heading for the gutters of Melville Saskatchewan!
Spaceman Dave
Sat, Nov 22, 08 at 01:00 AM
Thebus you could be right, the most intelligent creatures I've run into so far live in the ground in small holes and can't seem to cross the terrain with the yellow and white lines on it's black narrow surface. Plus the view is very good with hardly a hill to block it unless you count the ones the small furry creatures leave by the entrance to their homes.
Chickadee
Sat, Nov 22, 08 at 10:18 AM
We were in a house, right beside the water and were certain an enormous plane crashed right into Dried Meat Lake, not far from Camrose. How come everyone thinks it hit close to them? What a mysterious phenomenon! It's just wild!
grapevine
Sat, Nov 22, 08 at 10:33 AM
my old lady told me some girls from keesekoose rez saw it northwast of wroxton sk skared the .... out of them.
lena
Sat, Nov 22, 08 at 11:18 AM
Mathew is right on, where did it land, what is the current status of the impact. Are all of you praying for forgiveness. If so, I'll see you in heaven.
mir
Sat, Nov 22, 08 at 12:01 PM
Interesting reading, these comments. The poor grammar is also a bit amusing?? Some certainly do need to return to school to study - iI think they call it "Language Arts" now.
So sorry I missed the meteor - don't know what I was doing, but I know the meteor would have been more interesting! I do hope we can find out where, and if any remnants are found. I would really like to see some close up.
To "Seen It Too"
Sat, Nov 22, 08 at 12:53 PM
Please check your English grammar before you post your comments.
It should be "I saw it too", or you can say "I have seen it too." "I seen it too" is incorrect and annoying. Also, people posting should check the difference between "then" and "than" as well as "loose" and "lose". Also, use periods in your posts. Some people post without using proper punctuation. Don't you remember the English grammar that you were taught in school?
Jack N
Sat, Nov 22, 08 at 01:31 PM
This meteor was not picked up on radar? Come on, I find it hard to believe nobody knows where this thing landed.
Or is it that it is kept quiet to keep away the curious?
grammar officer
Sat, Nov 22, 08 at 01:56 PM
me seen it too a giant fireball that lit up the sky than we went for dinner like we should of
Mark
Sat, Nov 22, 08 at 02:07 PM
You people in Alberta get everythig we in B.C. get rain
Dave
Sat, Nov 22, 08 at 02:12 PM
Blossom, I'm glad you saw the meteor and yes it's definately a once in a lifetime experience but maybe you should allow your sense of humor to develop as well.
Barry in Edmonton
Sat, Nov 22, 08 at 02:47 PM
Maybe it was that tool bag from the space shuttle?
Roger
Sat, Nov 22, 08 at 06:22 PM
Dore Lake Sask. is where I saw the light flashes and the whole sky as it light up like day time. Then I saw several bright flashes similar to therays from an ark welder and then it was gone. It was awsome to see such an evnt.
Murphy
Sat, Nov 22, 08 at 06:23 PM
Maybe it was a gift from heaven to predate the coming of a great boom in Alberta.
Marie
Sat, Nov 22, 08 at 07:30 PM
Blossom, I am not jealous although I would like to have seen it. Thursday was not a good day in the markets and it was nice to seen something in the news that one could have fun with. I am 60 not 4 and I still like to play. By the way my comment was suggesting it was Santa.
go find it
Sat, Nov 22, 08 at 09:25 PM
I would have loved to have seen it; spent hours with my dog lying on the grass in the wee hours of the morning 5 - 6 years ago watching a meteor shower and that was so cool. Amazing light show and it was free!
dng
Sat, Nov 22, 08 at 10:10 PM
two weeks ago on the way home from work heading south 5am in the mourning i looked up i saw a flash ,i pulled the truck over and watched this fire ball for about 3 to 4 seconds heading south east it exploded like a firework a couple of times but it wasnt heading down but across the sky but i missed this one. but the way things seem to be going im sure we will all see more........