Bright light in sky was meteor: astronomer
Last Updated: Sunday, September 13, 2009 | 8:58 PM ET
CBC News
A meteor was likely the source of a flash of light seen shooting across the sky on B.C.'s South Coast Saturday night, a local astronomer says.
David Dodge said most meteoroids burn up before they enter Earth's atmosphere and become meteors with their distinctive trail of light.
Dodge said he believes it was a meteor, a rock falling from space that was likely travelling at about 70 km/second.
New Westminster resident Herb Storm was taking a walk at about 8 p.m. PT when he saw a light in the sky.
"And this bright flash caught my attention and it was magnificent," he said.
"It was like you see on movies with artificial effects that show this flaming ball of fire. Well, I saw the real thing for the first time in my 74 years. It was overwhelming. I mean, I was so excited."
CBC News received multiple emails from people who also saw the flash in the sky, from Metro Vancouver to the Sunshine Coast.
One described it as "a very bright light streak," while another called it a "spectacular light streaking in the southwestern sky."
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