Fireball Sighting In San Francisco As Russia Begins Meteor Explosion Cleanup
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The fireball appeared to be bright green and turned yellow as it descended, according to a Bay Area resident who posted on NBC Bay Area's Facebook page. There have been no reports of damage following the incident. Photo Credit, Ed Sweeney.
Chabot Space and Science Center astronomers in Oakland, said Friday night's light show was not related to the asteroid passing near Earth.
Astronomer, Gerald McKeegan, called the fireball a “sporadic meteor,” an event that can happen several times a day but most of the time happens over the ocean, away from human eyes, and brings as much as 15,000 tons of space debris to Earth each year.
In the Chelyabinsk region of Russia, removal of debris caused by the meteor blast is in progress. Saturday, workers began cleaning up shattered glass, repairing windows, and boarding up buildings affected by the explosion.
READ MORE: Meteorite Explodes Over Russia, Injures Over 1,100
According to CNN, more than 4,000 buildings, mostly apartment blocks, were damaged and 200,000 square kilometers (77,220 square miles) of glass were broken. The damage is estimated at more than 1 billion rubles (more than $33 million).
Read more on the clean-up efforts here.
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