On Saturday evening more than a hundred residents of Washington, Oregon and the Canadian province of British Columbia witnessed a bright fireball streak across the night sky. According to NASA and the American Meteor Society, this is already the third such event recorded in Washington in March. Analysis of video recordings and witness reports showed the fireball became visible at an altitude of about 80 kilometers above the city of Wilkeson and fully disintegrated at an altitude of 48 kilometers above Wauona in Pierce County at roughly 20:34, traveling 69 kilometers through the atmosphere at a speed of 62,000 km/h.
As NASA explains, despite the apparent increase in such events, February–April is considered the “fireball season” in the Northern Hemisphere, when observation rates rise by 10–30%, especially around the March equinox. Astronomers suggest that at this time Earth passes through regions with larger cosmic debris. The rise in reports may also be linked to the widespread use of smartphones and surveillance cameras that record such phenomena.
Fireballs are especially bright meteors that occur when larger-than-usual particles enter the atmosphere. Their tremendous speed heats the surrounding air to the point of glowing plasma, creating the effect of a fireball. Experts emphasize that this natural phenomenon does not pose a danger to residents of the region.
