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(submitted photo/Dayna C Marie Adjiza)
Mysterious Sight

Bright light streaks through night sky Saturday

Dec 30, 2019 | 12:24 PM

All was calm in the night sky on Saturday when just after 11:30 p.m. a dazzling blue light appeared out of nowhere.

A meteor streaked across the skies over Prince Albert Saturday evening just after 11:30 p.m. (Facebook/ Dayna C Marie Adjiza)

According to one Saskatchewan man, the astronomical spectacle can be easily explained.

“It was a very bright meteor known as a fireball,” Tim Yaworski, member of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada told paNOW. “In the case of the [meteor] this weekend, it was just large enough that it took quite a long time to burn up and created a much brighter display than normal.”

While it might be tempting to go searching for the fallen meteor, Yaworski said it’s rare for anything to be recovered.

“It depends on how big it was. In some cases they are big enough that they will actually survive their entry and land on the ground somewhere,” he said. “There’s only been about four recorded cases of that actually happening.”

Good news for meteor viewers though — Yaworski noted the Quadrantid Meteor Shower will be visible the night of Jan. 3, with 100 meteor an hour predicted from midnight to sunrise.

Ron.quaroni@jpbg.ca

Twitter: @RonaldQuaroni

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