Meteor Hunting at Lake Louise, Canada

It's a bird! It's a plane! It's none of the above... A meteor that hit Earth in October 2001 had people rushing to call the local authorities, not quite sure what it was they were witnessing. Many reported seeing a plane crash in the hills, when really it was an elephant-sized meteor screeching through the sky. Read on for the most recent news on this extra-terrestrial giant.

What's that in the Sky?

On October 14, 2001, a meteor between the size of one to 10 tons came speeding to Earth, impacting somewhere about 15.5 miles (25 km) east-northeast of Lake Louise, Alberta in Canada. People reported seeing the flash of light in three different Canadian provinces. People fairly close to where the meteor hit felt their houses shake and heard a loud boom. Scientists figure that the impact of the meteor was equivalent to an explosion of 250 tons of dynamite.

Where'd it Go? Searching for the Lake Louise Meteor

Despite the incredible damage a meteor of that size could do; no one has found the actual crash site. The crash site could be up to five miles (eight km) long and the meteor most likely disintegrated into dust upon impact. Scientists are hopeful, however, that some small rocks survived for them to study.

More About Meteors

Most meteors are close to 4.5 billion years old and could tell us a lot about the beginnings of our solar system. Scientists began their search for the meteor crash site in mid-June, 2002 and although they have yet to find anything, they are certainly not giving up any time soon.

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