Meteor Lights Up the Skies In Canada

Residents of Western Canada were in for a treat yesterday evening, when a beautiful, blindingly bright meteor streaked across the skies at 5.30pm. Though it lasted only for a seconds, lots of people managed to capture the amazing scene on camera.

People who saw it described it as a huge flaming fireball which changed colors as it came hurling down from the sky. The police in the States of Alberta and Saskatchewan received a lot of phone calls from people trying to determine what it was. Some thought it was fireworks, while others thought it was a missile.

Though meteors or shooting stars are common in this part of the World, this was the biggest one in the last decade. From the reports received, some scientists estimate that it weighed a few tons and was a few meters wide.

The meteor broke into many pieces as it reached the surface of the Earth. Scientists are hoping to be able to find some of the debris, which will provide them with great insight into our Solar System. What would be even more exciting is if the meteor was part of one of the planets, like Mars.

Meteors occur when a chunk of metal or stone matter from the Solar System enters the Earth's atmosphere. Often called shooting stars, most Meteors disintegrate before they reach the Earth's surface. The ones that reach the Earth's surface, are called meteorites.

Sources: NASA.org., Dailymail.co.uk, CTV.ca