A blazing meteor streaked across Vancouver at 119,000 km/h, creating a sonic boom and captivating witnesses across southwestern B.C.
Meteor Lights Up Vancouver Night
VANCOUVER — Residents across Metro Vancouver were stunned Tuesday night when a meteor tore across the sky at an astonishing 100 times the speed of sound. The fiery spectacle not only lit up the horizon but also sent shockwaves—literally—through the region.
The dazzling flash appeared around 9:10 p.m., followed by a thunderous boom that rattled homes and lit up social media with videos and reactions.
Michael Unger, director of programming at the H.R. MacMillan Space Centre in Vancouver, said his inbox quickly filled with eyewitness reports.
“These events happen all the time,” Unger explained. “What’s rare is when a meteor creates a sonic boom over a populated area.”
What Made This Meteor Special
According to NASA, the meteor became visible about 98 kilometres above Coquitlam, B.C., moving slightly east of north at 33 kilometres per second—roughly 119,000 km/h. It travelled 71 kilometres through the upper atmosphere before disintegrating at 65 kilometres above Greenmantle Mountain.
Experts estimate the meteor was relatively small, between 10 and 100 centimetres in size. Robert Lunsford of the American Meteor Society described it as a “fireball”—larger and brighter than the average meteor, which is typically pea-sized.
“A meteor the size of a softball can shine as brightly as the full moon,” Lunsford said. “Even small objects can put on an impressive show when they travel this fast.”
Sonic Boom Shakes Region
Witnesses reported the flash across a wide area, and the sonic boom was audible from the Fraser Valley down to Washington state. Alison Bird, a seismologist with Natural Resources Canada, confirmed that local seismometers recorded vibrations at 9:10 p.m., but assured the public these were not earthquake-related.
Unger noted the meteor may have left tiny fragments on the ground, composed mainly of nickel and iron. However, he cautioned that finding them would be like searching for a needle in a haystack.
A Reminder of Space Hazards
Tuesday’s event captivated the public and reignited interest in astronomy, but it also serves as a stark reminder of potential cosmic threats. Unger compared it to the 2013 Chelyabinsk meteor in Russia, which caused window damage and injuries due to its powerful sonic boom.
“Even though the odds are tiny, a larger meteor strike could be catastrophic,” Unger said. “That’s why global space agencies are working on early warning systems.”
While meteor showers are common, events like Tuesday’s fireball are rare and awe-inspiring—a reminder of just how dynamic and unpredictable our skies can be.
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