Flash in the sky believed to have been a meteor falling over the Kootenays

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – That flash you may have seen in the sky last night could have a few people heading to the Kootenays.

A meteor is believed to have broken apart somewhere near the small community of Meadow Creek. Derek Kief, astronomer at Vancouver’s HR MacMillan Space Centre, says some people may go looking for it.

“It’s totally possible that the impact could have actual meteorite fragments remaining on the surface of the earth. The issue is how high up did it explode and what’s the possibility of actually finding the impact sites, if there actually was an impact.”

He emphasizes that it’s not clear if the meteor actually hit the ground, or if it burnt up in the air and turned into dust.

As for finding any possible fragments, Kief says this could be like looking for a needle in a hay stack.

“Often, when these things impact, they’re very, very, very small and very hard to find. So, it is possible that you could find pieces. But you’d have to search far and wide — and very, very closely. But it is possible to find these pieces.”

People from across BC, Alberta and even parts of Saskatchewan reported seeing a “fireball” in the sky around 10 p.m. yesterday. Police across BC received calls about it.

And many people took to social media to show what they saw.

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