Science Tips Tips Tricks Technology 4-year-old Port Orchard boy describes seeing meteor over Puget Sound

PORT ORCHARD, Wash. — People across Puget Sound heard the loud boom Wednesday evening that was the result of a meteor, but few people saw it as it streaked across the sky. 

But one of those lucky people was 4-year-old Tobin, of Port Orchard. His parents say when Tobin described what he saw to them they had no idea what he was talking about, but a short time later they heard the boom, also. 

Tobin’s father took a video of his son describing what he saw, here’s what he said: “I saw firefly through the sky. It was super straight. It was like a firework and it had white on the bottom and red on the top,” described Tobin, as he moved his arms around to imitate the meteor.

The American Meteor Society says this was likely a random event unrelated to a meteor shower that’s currently lighting up the sky around the world.

Scott Story, in Brier, actually caught the meteor on video from a camera on his porch. “In the upper left-hand corner, you’ll see the streak go by. And the audio is actually three minutes later – the ‘boom’” Story said.

“I figured it was around 200,000 feet if it’s three minutes – but I’m no expert so I could be wrong,” Story said.

As for the altitude, experts at AMS say it was likely some 30 miles in the sky, on the upper cusp of the stratosphere.

“I went onto my home security cameras and just watched it for a few minutes and sure enough it was plain as day,” he said.