Fredericton woman captured green fireball as it flew across sky during parade

When Gail Dunlap's sister couldn't attend Fredericton's Christmas parade on Saturday night, she decided to record the whole thing on her cellphone.

Little did she know she would catch something on camera almost as magical as the big man in red.

"Just out of the blue, this big green ball [came] out of the sky," Dunlap said.

"I was quite surprised. I actually caught it on camera, to be honest with you, but it was definitely a lucky shot."

The green flying object appeared just in the upper corner of her video as parade floats went by. 

Chris Curwin, an amateur astronomer in Saint John, said the object was a meteor, but more specifically, it was likely a fireball — a meteor brighter than Venus.

While Curwin didn't witness the spectacle himself, he said a lot of people did, especially because the international space station was passing over close to the same time.

"It just kind of brings us all together to know that there's stuff happening above our heads that, you know, we have to be looking at the right time in the right place to see it," said Curwin.

The fireball was visible to people in a variety of different locations, including Maine, the Fredericton area, and parts of Nova Scotia, including Halifax. That, Curwin said, indicates the object was high in the sky. 

As for the greenish colour, Curwin said this can usually give some indication of the chemical composition.

Curwin said the fact that the object flew across the sky so quickly means it was a meteor as opposed to a satellite, which would streak across the sky more slowly, with a longer tail.

Curwin said it's also almost time for the Geminids meteor shower, which peaks around Dec. 13 or 14.  

"[The fireball] could have been something from a meteor shower as well, more than likely that's what it was — a particle that came from a meteor shower," he said.

"Those are just trails of debris that are left behind as a comet or an asteroid circles around the sun, and we travel through that trail every year."

Curwin said every day, at least 100 tonnes of space dust hits the Earth, the majority of it landing in the ocean somewhere.

Still, he said, getting to see a sight like Saturday's fireball is rare.

"You might see two or three in your lifetime — that's how rare they are."

Curwin said people can report fireball sightings to the American Meteor Society online, which can help with identification.

For Dunlap, she's just excited she got to witness the event and share it with others. She posted a small clip of the moment on Facebook for others to enjoy.

And she said it was pure luck that she twisted her camera in the right direction at the right time to see the Christmas parade party crasher.

"I think that's pretty close to a Christmas miracle, if you ask me."