AMATEUR ASTRONOMY:
PRAIRIE METEOR SHOW:
Residents of Alberta and Saskatchewan were treated to a brilliant meteor show around 5:30 local time as a bright fireball was sighted as far apart as Edmonton and Regina. The photos here are from Edmonton. Here's the story from the Regina Leader Post. More to follow tomorrow.
.........................
Meteor lights up Saskatchewan sky:
Kerry Benjoe and Lana Haight,
Saskatchewan News Network
Published: Thursday, November 20, 2008
REGINA -- A flash in the sky has many people in Western Canada asking questions.
REGINA -- A flash in the sky has many people in Western Canada asking questions.
According the RCMP in Lloydminster, a meteor fell from the northern skies at around 5:30 p.m. on Thursday. It was visible from Edmonton, east from Lloydminister and into Saskatchewan and as far south as the Regina area.
Some residents in Wilcox can only describe what they saw as 'very pretty.'
George Faris said he was driving home west of Wilcox on Highway 39.
"It was a nice bright green colour. It looked like it was northwest of Wilcox. It was right around 6:25 -- I looked at my watch," said Faris. "It looked like it hit the ground."
He said the sighting was fast and estimated that it lasted between five to seven seconds.
"I thought someone had set off a firework and then I realized, 'No because it was coming out of the sky,' " said Faris.
Angie Roian was cleaning up the table after supper when she saw the tail-end of the meteor.
"I looked out my kitchen window and I saw it coming down. It was the coolest thing," said Roian.
Like Faris, she thought someone had set off a firework but soon realized it wasn't because it was going in the wrong direction.
"It was just like a streak and it looked like there were sparkles in it when it came down," said Roian.
Other areas of the province saw a much brighter version of the meteor.
"It lit up the yard almost like midday, but just for an instant," said Bruce Trapp, who farms near Harris, about 70 kilometres southwest of Saskatoon.
"It was far brighter than any lightning strike I've ever seen."
In some places, the fireball, which streaked across the province and beyond at around 6:30 p.m., appeared white. In other places, it was flash of rainbow colours.
"It seemed like firew
orks or a missile coming down. The sky lit up greenish and yellow," said Shawn Mitchler, who was pumping gas at Family Confectionery on Highway 16 at Radisson, about 60 kilometres northwest of Saskatoon. He estimates the light show lasted five to 10 seconds.
"My heart just started racing because I didn't know what it was."
Mitchler wasn't alone. The RCMP emergency dispatch centre in Regina received 9-1-1 calls from people wondering what was going on.
"We got lots and lots of calls from all over the province -- from one end of the province to the other. Cut Knife to Fort Qu'Appelle," said one dispatcher.
© Canwest News Se
rvice 2008
2 comments:
I love it when you Prairie folk get quoted in the news for some reason. "The sky turned the colour of a Roughrider jersey. I thought for a moment it might have been Ronnie Lancaster coming down from Heaven to watch the Grey Cup. Then I thought maybe I'd eaten some rye that'd gone off."
Too much ergot across all the prairie provinces. but how mamy people eat rye bread these days- except myself of course.
Hey, maybe it was the second coming of Wacky Bennett, and he overshot the mark? Betcha Ross Thatcher and his murderous kid were crazier than any politicians you have out in BC.
Here in Manitoba it's pretty well boring for "character" amongst our rulers. Only 'Slick Sammy', the mayor of Winnipeg is anything worth noting, and he'll NEVER get caught with his pants down. If he hasn't been caught by now he never will be.
Post a Comment