A dazzling streaking light blazed through the skies Sunday, drawing the attention of many Vancouver Island residents.
Witnesses from as far south as Saanich and as far north as Campbell River saw the meteor speed up across the sky, Global News reported. Some described it as a "fireball" followed by a deafening explosion.
Several locals even reported hearing a rumbling or a boom in the sky at the time. Others, per CTV Vancouver, speculated that it may have landed on a mountain near Port Alberni.
Meteor Streaks Across Vancouver Island Sky
According to Sooke News Mirror, Sean Baxandall was traveling south on Highway 19A south of Campbell River. He noticed a brilliant light moving through the sky on his dashcam. "The fireball appeared as it landed in the water from where we were, but it was hard to tell," he added.
Several residents south of Nanaimo reported hearing a big blast that shook their windows. Constance Leverton was preparing supper at her Maple Bay house when she heard a loud bang. All the windows were shut, but she still heard a loud sound.
Other neighbors immediately shared their own accounts of hearing the boom on a local Facebook group.
Cool video! Sean Mark was driving in #CampbellRiver at 5:01 pm when his dashcam captured a meteor seen widely across #VancouverIsland. He was on Island Hwy near Rockland Rd. driving south. @CHEK_News #Meteorite pic.twitter.com/tyvXUXR2DN
— Dean Stoltz (@deanstoltzchek) December 13, 2021
People reported hearing the boom, seeing a brilliant light traveling through the sky, or both after 5 p.m. on social media from as far south as Victoria and as far north as Campbell River on the Island.
Elena Rardon of the Alberni Valley News was traveling back to Port Alberni from Beaver Creek when she noticed a brilliant yellowish light heading quickly towards Mt. Arrowsmith.
Was The Fireball Linked To Geminid Meteor Shower?
Experts said it was most likely blazing debris from the Geminid Meteor shower, which peaked early Tuesday morning. This year's peak is from December 13 to 14.
NASA said the Geminids are "debris from an asteroid named 3200 Phaethon," according to NASA. Every year in mid-December, Earth collides with Phaethon's debris stream, producing meteors to fly in the direction of the constellation Gemini - thus the name 'Geminids.'"
A meteor is a "space rock" or meteoroid that reaches the Earth's atmosphere rapidly and burns up, resulting in a "shooting star" in the sky. NASA Science said a meteorite is a meteoroid that survives its journey through the atmosphere and lands on the earth. Meteorites seldom make it all the way to the surface of the planet.
"Geminid is actually debris from an asteroid which means they are rocky bits so they will burn brighter and last longer if you are lucky enough to see one of these fireballs during the Geminid," Karun Thanjavur, University of Victoria Senior Astronomy Lab Instructor, told Chek News.
Thanks - nothing obvious on seismographs on the south Island. Not an earthquake (given that it was noticed from Sooke to Duncan to Saanich - and even a tiny earthquake felt across this area would be easily recorded).
Perhaps a meteor...
Seismic data: https://t.co/StGJqL2MSy— John Cassidy (@earthquakeguy) December 13, 2021
Some people who heard the loud blast assumed it was an earthquake. However, B.C. seismologist John Cassidy stated the opposite immediately on Twitter after the fireball was spotted.
The year's most powerful meteor shower is now in progress. The Geminids appear every December, and if the sky is clear, Monday night will be the ideal time to see them.
RELATED ARTICLE: Geminids Meteor Shower to Peak on Dec. 13-14: South Africans See Bright Lights Quickly Moving Through the Sky
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