Scientists have shared an astonishing video of a fireball as bright as the full moon shooting across the sky in Ontario, Canada.
The meteoroid was roughly the size of a small beachball (approx. 30cm in diameter), and is thought to have dropped a number of meteorite fragments .
The video was captured by the University of Western Ontario's All-Sky Camera Network at 02:44 local time on July 24.
Footage of the fireball was also captured in Montreal - about 260 miles (420 kilometers) east of Bancroft - and may have been visible in the United States as well.
Researchers believe that some of the meteorite fragments may have fallen to the ground near Bancroft, Ontario.
"This fireball likely dropped a small number of meteorites in the Bancroft area, specifically near the small town of Cardiff," said astronomy professor Peter Brown.
"We suspect meteorites made it to the ground because the fireball ended very low in the atmosphere just to the west of Bancroft and slowed down significantly.
"This is a good indicator that material survived."
This event is important to researchers, as video data of the fireball's passage through the atmosphere provides valuable insight into where the rock originated in our solar system.
Brown and his collaborators at Western and the Royal Ontario Museum are appealing to people in the local area to keep an eye out for possible meteorites and send them in for analysis.
Meteorites can be recognised by their dark, often scalloped exterior. Usually they will be denser than a 'normal' rock and will often be attracted to a magnet due to their metal content.
"Meteorites are of great interest to researchers as studying them helps us to understand the formation and evolution of the solar system," Brown said.
