Meteor briefly lights up night sky across southern B.C.

It lasted just seconds, but a meteor briefly lit up the sky on Wednesday night.

The fireball streaked across the atmosphere just before 10 p.m., burning brightly before disappearing as quickly as it appeared.

Online reports said it could be seen from the Okanagan and Shuswap to Vancouver Island and the Pacific Northwest.

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A video sent to Global News captured the moment — which lasted around four seconds — via a home security camera.

A meteor can also be called a fireball, but it has to burn brighter than Venus to earn that distinction, which appeared to be the case on Wednesday night.

Those who witnessed the meteor say it had a greenish tinge to it. According to NASA, a meteor’s colours are caused by the ionization of molecules.

It says oxygen can make it appear green, though other sources such as this one say meteors comprised of nickel or magnesium can also make them appear green as well.

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NASA has plenty of information about meteors, and this year’s meteor showers.

The American Meteor Society also has a page dedicated to meteor and fireball reports from around the world.

Also, at this time, the Earth is passing through the Eta Aquarids meteor shower.

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