- with files from Lemuel Alquino, Discover Estevan
Drivers travelling down Highway 368 on any given late fall morning are likely to encounter deer, moose, and maybe the odd coyote or fox in the dark to twilight hours. But it’s not often that a huge green fireball trailing light as it streaks to the horizon greets locals in the morning.
However, that was the experience for one Lake Lenore resident. Rhianna Wrubleski was heading south toward Highway 5 on Wednesday morning, November 13 at around 7:40 am, when she caught sight of the remarkable celestial experience that lit up the morning sky across western Canada and the northwestern US.
“It was kind of wild,” she said. “I was driving into work, and it was dark, unfortunately as is the case this time of year. All of a sudden, something pulled my eyes up into the sky, and there was a big flash of bright green trailing down the sky. It was pretty much the biggest brightest meteor I’ve seen in my life.”
Wrubleski said while it was visible, it trailed the bright green, eventually fizzling out to a fiery orange and red.
“I don’t know whether it landed somewhere or what it did, but it was quite the sight.”
As it turned out, Rhianna was not the only witness to the event.
Residents in the province’s southeast reported the sighting as well. Lemuel Alquino from our sister site, Discover Estevan, did the legwork based on sightings from Estevan, Moosomin, and even Swift Current.
Lemuel explains that Leonid meteor shower event is in full display throughout the northern hemisphere. According to EarthSky.org, people can see pieces of the 55P/Temple-Tuttle comet rain down from now until December 2.
Sightings of this exact meteor that emitted the bright green light weren't exclusive to Saskatchewan. Security camera videos and dashcam footage shared on social media show that it was also visible in parts of Alberta, namely Edmonton and Calgary.
If you've got some free time after midnight in the early hours of November 18, just look up. EarthSky.org predicts that this year's Leonid meteor show will be the most visible if the skies are clear and there is no moon. You can keep an eye out on the forecast with our handy Discover Humboldt weather, so you can make sure you're prepped to see the light show. If you do catch the light show that night, send us your photos at news@discoverhumboldt.com