‘Refrigerator-sized’ meteor zooms over Minnesota in one of the ‘biggest events of the year’
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The fireball zoomed over Cambridge, Minnesota early Thursday morning. (iStock)
Late-night stargazers in Cambridge, Minnesota and beyond may have noticed — or felt — a massive fireball that streaked across the sky earlier this week.
The meteor, which entered the stratosphere just after 2:00 a.m. on Thursday, passed over the city before heading east and going dark over Harris, observer and meteorite hunter Pat Branch, who works with the American Meteor Society, told the Star Tribune.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Branch told the publication the fireball was likely close enough to Earth to “drop pea-to-grape size rocks with charred, crusted or chipped edges.”
The meteor, which was “refrigerator-sized,” according to the Star Tribune, was visible for more than 50 miles from where it passed.
One man — identified only as Michael B — reported to the American Meteor Society he “saw a blue light bright enough to make my trees turn blue, like massive Christmas light were suddenly on them,” according to the newspaper.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“I looked up, and what looked like a large meteor was streaking directly over me. After about three minutes, an explosion sound occurred from far away, yet audible enough to make some pheasants in my backyard scatter and squawk some,” he added.
Other Minnesota residents reportedly called authorities after hearing what they later learned was the meteor’s sonic boom.
“It’s very unusual,” Branch told the Star Tribune of the fireball. “This is one of our biggest events of the year.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}METEOR IS CAUSE OF MYSTERIOUS LIGHT OVER SF BAY AREA, OBSERVATORY SAYS
The meteor came just one day after a separate fireball flashed across the sky above the San Francisco Bay Area.
A few social media users took to Twitter to share videos of the out-of-this-world occurrence.
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