Meteorite fall observed in Manitoba, USA

Residents of Manitoba again received a surprise in the form of fireballs that swept across the night sky.

"Both of these phenomena happen almost once in a lifetime, so the probability that they will occur twice in a row immediately after each other is simply amazing," said Scott Young, a planetary astronomer at the Manitoba Museum.

In western Manitoba and Saskatchewan, a similar sight was observed on Tuesday evening.

The fireball on Wednesday appeared around 9:45 p.m. Reports of a meteor falling in the sky came from residents of the northern part of the Interlake region through Winnipeg and south to Niverville.

So far, the International Meteorite Organization has received 50 reports of a meteor, Yang said.

On Tuesday, people reported sightings from north to Easter, as well as from southern Saskatchewan and North Dakota.

The chances of seeing such a bright meteor in the same region two nights in a row are astronomical, Yang said.

"It's just the luck of the draw that they so coincided with each other," he said. "But there's something else that's happening - it's called spring fireballs - for some reason, and we don't know exactly why. There are more such bright meteors in the spring."

Many of the images of the fireball posted on social media were obtained from surveillance cameras, such as surveillance cameras on doorbells, which Young called a "boon" for astronomers.

"You know, further north, it would be great because it would help to see him from the other side of his path, basically."

It's unlikely there will be a third on Thursday night, but Young said he'll be watching the sky.