Residents of Southern B.C. and the U.S. Pacific Northwest were treated to a spectacular show in the night sky Thursday.
Just after 9 p.m., blazing streaks of light tore through the darkness.
The fireballs were the remains of a SpaceX rocket burning up in the atmosphere.
Harvard astronomer Jonathan McDowell said on Twitter the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket sent Starlink satellites to orbit on March 4.
“The Falcon 9 second stage from the Mar 4 Starlink launch failed to make a deorbit burn and is now reentering after 22 days in orbit. Its reentry was observed from the Seattle area,” he tweeted.
The United States National Weather Service confirmed that the fireballs were likely debris from a Falcon 9 rocket second stage.
"Based on the observed video, this looks more likely than a bolide meteor or similar object as they would be moving far faster on impact with our atmosphere," the service tweeted.
