Experts today said that despite its spectacular appearances, the meteor was probably only the size of a football.

今天专家们说，尽管看起来这么壮观，这颗流星可能只有一个足球的大小。

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Dr Robert Massey, of the Royal Astronomical Society, said: 'a meteor so widely visible is quite rare.

皇家天文协会的Robert Massey博士说，“一颗流星在这么大范围被看见是很罕见的。”

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A more likely cause, Dr. Tapley said, would be a large meteor burning up as it entered the atmosphere.

Tapley博士说，一种可能是一颗大流星在进入大气时燃烧。

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Russian emergency officials said the meteor was destroyed after it partially burned in the lower atmosphere over the Ural district.

CNN: Russian meteor shower causes blast; hundreds injured

However, the US space agency Nasa said the meteor weighed 10, 000 tonnes before entering the atmosphere, and released about 500 kilotons of energy.

BBC: Russia sends clean-up team to meteorite-hit Urals

However, the US space agency Nasa said the meteor was 17m (55ft) wide and weighed 10, 000 tonnes before entering the atmosphere, releasing about 500 kilotons of energy.

BBC: Meteorite fragments found in Russia's Urals region