# So I heard a meteor last night (Minnesota) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 21, 2018, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-heard-a-meteor-last-night-minnesota/826459 "2018-12-21T01:34:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![JohnGalt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johngalt/32/184_2.png) [@JohnGalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnGalt)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2018, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-heard-a-meteor-last-night-minnesota/826459/1 "2018-12-21T01:34:35Z")
I was binge watching Netflix last night since I didn’t have to get up early (_The Sinner_ if anyone cares). I got to bed about 2:00 AM and was just falling asleep when at 2:10 I heard what I thought was thunder. It was lightly raining with no storms in the area, and thunder is quite unusual in December in Minnesota. Then I saw the Minneapolis Star Tribune [article](http://www.startribune.com/bright-light-and-boom-light-up-north-metro-sky-was-it-a-meteor/503243111/) that there was a large meteor breaking up about 20 miles south of where I was. From the reports it appeared to start in Cambridge and broke up near Harris (I-35 mile 150). If there was snow on the ground it might be easier to find some pieces. It was the first time I’ve heard a meteor and was curious if anyone here heard something about the same time. Or for that matter, any other such “sightings” (hearings doesn’t sound right). ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2018, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-heard-a-meteor-last-night-minnesota/826459/2 "2018-12-21T01:45:49Z")
There was one over San Francisco last night, too. I didn’t see the rock itself, but did get a look at the contrail. It was just after sunset, and the sky was dark, but the contrail was high up enough in the atmosphere that it was still getting hit by direct sunlight, [which made it look like it was glowing.](https://www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/SJM-SKYLIGHT-1220-1.jpg?w=506) ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2018, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-heard-a-meteor-last-night-minnesota/826459/3 "2018-12-21T02:13:12Z")
> [@JohnGalt](#): > > Then I saw the Minneapolis Star Tribune [article](http://www.startribune.com/bright-light-and-boom-light-up-north-metro-sky-was-it-a-meteor/503243111/) that there was a large meteor breaking up about 20 miles south of where I was. Odd bit in the article–I wonder if it was mangled by the reporter: > [@](#): > > The meteor was only the second meteor of the year to get close enough to Earth to drop rocks, Branch said. There have been [at least five falls this year with recovered material](https://www.lpi.usra.edu/meteor/metbull.php?sea=2018&sfor=years&ants=&nwas=&falls=yes&valids=&stype=contains&lrec=50&map=ge&browse=&country=All&srt=name&categ=All&mblist=All&rect=&phot=&snew=366&pnt=Normal%20table&dr=&page=0), including one with at least 160 KG (which makes gorgeous slices–[this one](http://gigapan.com/gigapans/211524) is probably around 10 cm across.) ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2018, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-heard-a-meteor-last-night-minnesota/826459/4 "2018-12-21T04:10:37Z")
Over the US it’s the second? Maybe? ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2018, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-heard-a-meteor-last-night-minnesota/826459/5 "2018-12-21T04:25:17Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > There was one over San Francisco last night, too. I didn’t see the rock itself, but did get a look at the contrail. It was just after sunset, and the sky was dark, but the contrail was high up enough in the atmosphere that it was still getting hit by direct sunlight, [which made it look like it was glowing.](https://www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/SJM-SKYLIGHT-1220-1.jpg?w=506) I can only imagine what kind of field day conspiracy theorists would have with this! For the most part, you’re not going to see a meteor in daytime unless it’s the size of Chelyabinsk, and that’s something I would personally not wish to experience. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2018, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-heard-a-meteor-last-night-minnesota/826459/6 "2018-12-21T04:28:00Z")
> [@JohnGalt](#): > > I was binge watching Netflix last night since I didn’t have to get up early (_The Sinner_ if anyone cares). I got to bed about 2:00 AM and was just falling asleep when at 2:10 I heard what I thought was thunder. It was lightly raining with no storms in the area, and thunder is quite unusual in December in Minnesota. > > Then I saw the Minneapolis Star Tribune [article](http://www.startribune.com/bright-light-and-boom-light-up-north-metro-sky-was-it-a-meteor/503243111/) that there was a large meteor breaking up about 20 miles south of where I was. From the reports it appeared to start in Cambridge and broke up near Harris (I-35 mile 150). If there was snow on the ground it might be easier to find some pieces. > > It was the first time I’ve heard a meteor and was curious if anyone here heard something about the same time. Or for that matter, any other such “sightings” (hearings doesn’t sound right). p.s. That’s cool! I think I may have about 10 years ago when I was living in Illinois. There was a loud boom in the middle of the day, and nobody ever figured out exactly what it was or where it came from. Most of us believed it was something like this.