Video shows meteor streaking across Ontario

Videos of a meteor streaking across the skies of southern Ontario have surfaced and small bits of the outer space rock may have made it to land, one astronomy professor says.

Peter Brown, a professor of astronomy at Western University and Canada Research Chair in Planetary Science, told CTV News Toronto in an email that the school’s meteor cameras picked up the fireball Sunday night.

He said the meteor’s path ended near Allenwood Beach, in Wasaga Beach, on the shore of Georgian Bay.

“The fireball was moving off shore so it is likely any meteorites are in the lake,” he explained, adding that the rock was moving at a speed of over 20 kilometres a second and was last reported at a height of 33 kilometres above land.

“However, we are doing some analysis of this event and it is (remotely) possible small meteorites might have made it to land if the upper winds were right, but we don’t know right now.”

The object, which Brown said was about the size of a softball, was also observed in Brantford, where resident Dereck Bowen filmed his own video of the event.

Speaking to CTV News Toronto, Bowen said he saw the meteor with his own eyes then checked his doorbell cam which captured the footage.

“I kind of thought it was a firework,” he said, noting the celestial show only lasted a few seconds.

Brown said if any meteorites did make it to the ground, they would likely be very hard to find as they would be small. He added that it will take time to do a full analysis of the event.