Witnesses in southern British Colombia and western Washington State have reported seeing a bright fireball meteor at about 9.40 pm local time on Thursday 16 March 2017. The event is described as a meteor followed by a bright green flash, then a second yellow flash, and was witnessed between Victoria in the west and West Kelowna in the east.
The 16 March 2017 fireball meteor seen from Pitt Meadows in British Columbia. Tammy Kwan/CBC News.
A fireball is defined as a meteor (shooting star) brighter than the planet Venus. These are typically caused by pieces of rock burning up in the atmosphere, but can be the result of man-made space-junk burning up on re-entry. Objects of this size probably enter the Earth's atmosphere several times a year, though unless they do so over populated areas they are unlikely to be noticed.
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