Some western Manitobans had lucky chance to spot 'once in a lifetime' meteor, astronomer says

The few people living in Manitoba's Westman area and parts of Saskatchewan who spotted a meteor on Tuesday night should count themselves "extremely lucky," a local astronomer says.

Globally, meteors are spotted a few times a day, but the average person may only ever see one throughout the course of their life, said Scott Young, who is the planetarium astronomer at the Manitoba Museum.

"A fireball this big and bright is exceptionally rare for a person to see," he said in an interview on CBC Manitoba's Radio Noon on Wednesday.

"If you're a devoted sky watcher and you spend your whole life, you might be lucky to see two. But I mean, it really is a once-in-a-lifetime event."

In Brandon, Man., Trevor Bryant's doorbell camera caught the meteor as it passed across the sky over mere seconds.

LISTEN | Scott Young talks about the rare sighting of the meteor:

Young calls it "a beautiful fireball arching across the sky."

"It was visible for six or seven seconds and it sort of flared up a couple of times, broke into some pieces, had a nice long tail behind it. It was a really spectacular video," he added.

That video was posted online, and ever since, Young has been getting dozens of sighting reports, as has the International Meteor Organization.

Bryant, a local astronomer and member of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, said he didn't see the fireball first hand, but heard buzz on social media, prompting him to check his camera.

His camera is pointed skyward to film lighting, rockets and other things. He wasn't expecting to capture the meteor.

"Lo and behold, I got it," he said on CBC Manitoba's Up to Speed on Wednesday.

People reported sightings from as far north as The Pas, but also in locations in southern Saskatchewan and North Dakota.

"Everybody says, 'Oh, it was just over those trees', or, 'It was just over in the neighbour's yard,' but in actual fact, it's often quite far away," Young said.