Meanwhile in Ontario... Beach Ball Size Meteorite Lights Up the Sky Across Southern Ontario and Woke Up Residents Across Eastern Ontario Early Wednesday Morning

Community member Karin M. lives just north of Fenelon Falls, Ontario, and sent us a message asking if we had heard about a meteor on Wednesday morning at roughly 2:40 am. She was awake at the time and the sound was loud enough to scare both her and her dog. She also reported that other members of her community were jolted awake and wondered if they had heard thunder. Some even said that they heard two unique explosions.

It turns out, Karin's hunch was correct and there was most definitely a spectacular meteor that lit up the night sky across southern Ontario with the brightness of the full moon! Western University's Southern Ontario Meteor Network cameras recorded the fireball at approximately 2:44 am.

Even Chris Hadfield had something to say about this meteor:

The meteor was reported to the American Meteor Society and the International Meteor Organization by over 40 observers in Canada and the United States. Reported observations of the meteor indicate that its path started over Lake Ontario and ended north of Peterborough, ON.

This is a particularly significant event because it is believed that several pieces of the meteor survived and landed on the ground west of Bancroft, ON. Researchers are seeking help in locating any remaining pieces of the meteor that was initially the size of a beach ball before burning up in our atmosphere and breaking up into much smaller fragments.

What does a meteorite look like? According to Western "Meteorites can be recognized by their dark, often scalloped exterior. Typically, they will be denser than a ‘normal’ rock and will often be attracted to a magnet due to their metal content."

If you’d like to search for meteorites anywhere other than your own property, please get permission from the landowner first. In Canada, a meteorite is considered the property of the landowner where it is found. As cool as it would be to keep, turning over any meteorites that you find to researchers would be of great benefit to the scientific community. By studying meteorites, they are able to gain more insight into the formation of our solar system. Handle any prospective meteorites that you find as little as possible so you do not contaminate them. The ROM has further instructions on how to properly handle any meteors that you find and how to contact them in the event that you find one. To learn more, click this link:

(This article is from a previous event but still has good information): https://www.rom.on.ca/en/about-us/newsroom/press-releases/fireball-witnessed-in-evening-sky-across-southern-ontario

Did you hear or witness this meteor? Did you or anyone you know find fragments from this area? Please let us know in the comments and, of course, follow the steps in the link above to submit them to the ROM for research.

***Author: Teresa Kroeker - Editor: Adam Skinner

Sources:

https://news.westernu.ca/2019/07/fireball-space-meteor-ontario/

https://fireballs.ndc.nasa.gov/skyfalls/events/20190724-064340

https://fireball.amsmeteors.org/members/imo_view/event/2019/3146

https://www.space.com/canadian-fireball-footage-july-2019.html