Night turned into day: Dazzling ‘meteor’ blazes across sky in Russian Urals (VIDEOS)

Residents of the Russian Urals have reported a colorful fireball lighting up the night sky before hearing loud booms. The meteor is said to have emitted red, yellow and orange light as it was falling.

The glowing object was clearly visible from the city of Ekaterinburg in the Sverdlovsk region, as well as near-by towns and communities on Tuesday night, local media reported.

Several videos now being shared online show a bright flash, followed by a brief moment of daylight. “I thought it was a star, but it wasn’t! As it fell it glowed red and yellow, and behind it there was a small trail that glittered from lilac to red, yellow and orange,” eyewitness Aleksandr Bortstev said in describing the dazzling phenomenon to local news website E1. He said the flash lasted for about 6 or 7 seconds. Some witnesses claimed that they heard what sounded like explosions.

The people of the area are no strangers to such phenomena – this is the second spectacular meteor residents have witnessed in a week. On Saturday, a bright blue-and-white meteor traveled through the night sky of Sverdlovsk and the neighboring Chelyabinsk region. One of the witnesses described the speed of the meteor as “monstrous.” 

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