Did You See the Large Firball Explosion Over Canyon Ferry?

From the Treasure State to Big Sky Country, Montana Has It Covered

The state of Montana is often referred to as the "Treasure State" and rightfully so with the abundance of minerals and more spread across thousands of acres of mountains and plains.

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But were also known as "Big Sky Country" with skies that stretch "to infinity and beyond" to quote the great Buzz Lightyear.

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Those skies aren't just impressive on a bright sunny day; they also can dazzle at night with unexpected celestial events.

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Did You See the Large Fireball Explosion Over Canyon Ferry?

During the early morning hours on September 9, 2026, the Montana Learning Center captured amazing footage of a large fireball exploding over the Canyon Ferry area.  The celestial event happened at 2:33am and was captured by the Meteor Camera Detection System.

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The fireball was intense enough to light not just the sky, but the entire area around it the ground.  MLC reported that the exceptional event is "one of the best fireballs we have on record—both in terms of its intensity and the detail captured by our camera system."

Just How Bright Was It?  Let's Compare Brightness of Sun and Moon for an Idea

To give perspective to just how bright the fireball in the above video really is, the Montana Learning Center offered the following for comparison:

its peak apparent magnitude at approximately –19.6, considerably brighter than our initial estimate. For comparison, the full Moon is about magnitude –12 to –13, while the daytime Sun is around –26. On the astronomical magnitude scale, that means this fireball was hundreds of times brighter than the full Moon at its peak.

The group is asking that anyone who may have captured additional footage of the fireball to send it for comparison.  Learn more about the center here.