Rare meteor believed to be the size of a basketball spotted in southern Manitoba

A rare sight was captured in the sky above southern Manitoba and Saskatchewan overnight Tuesday.

A weather camera in Brandon captured a meteor streaking across the southern Manitoba sky northwest of the city.

The bright light can be seen falling through the air before disappearing behind distant houses. The meteor was also spotted in parts of North Dakota and southern Saskatchewan.

Scott Young, the planetarium astronomer at the Manitoba Museum, said normally meteors or falling stars are about the size of a grain of sand, but this one was different.

"The one that came in yesterday was probably more about the size of a basketball," he said. "So much, much bigger in size and that's why it became much, much brighter."

Young said the meteor burnt out above Humboldt, Sask., and any pieces left likely fell north of Regina.

He said once all the reports are in meteorite hunters will head out in search of anything that is left.

There have only been 13 meteorites recorded in Manitoba.

-with files from CTV's Simon Stones and Carie Willson