Fireball Illuminates Canadian Night Sky

Manning is a rural farming community in Northern Alberta, Canada. Unspoiled by excess light, Manning’s skyline provides a haven for sky gazers and star seekers alike. On September 21, 2013 anyone lucky enough to have their eyes to the skies was treated to the experience of a lifetime.

A police car camera tells the story of an officer on his usual nightly patrol. Visibility is low, and the desolate Canadian highway seems to wind into an abyss of never ending darkness. Suddenly, Manning’s picturesque backdrop fades in, revealing its beauty. The hue of the sky is no longer black and unforgiving, but now shows brilliant shades green, blue and turquoise. And it only continued to get brighter.

The source of the intense light reveals itself to the right of the patrol car. A massive ball of fire streaks through the sky, white hot at it’s core, encased in a magical turquoise aura. The fiery, glowing mass blazes into the distance, appearing to fully extinguish before disappearing into the night sky.

It was later announced that the spectacular sighting was one of a rogue meteor; a space rock that managed to survive the treacherous trip into earth’s atmosphere. It is not known whether a meteorite touched ground, or if the mass was incinerated into space dust during it’s blazing descent.

The Universe outside Earth is expansive, although we tend to forget it sometimes. But no matter how grounded we get, that same Universe has a unique way of reminding us about the cosmic adventure happening daily in our own backyard.