History was made in Maine over the weekend.

周末，缅因州创造了历史。

Just before noon on Saturday, several people reported seeing a bright fireball in the sky over Washington County.  Many people also reported hearing a loud, sonic boom near Calais.

就在周六中午之前，一些人报告说在Washington County上空看到了一个明亮的火球。还有一些人报告说在Calais附近听到了巨大的音爆。

NASA has reviewed the radar for that time frame and discovered the first radar-observed meteorite fall ever seen in Maine.

NASA审查了这段时间的雷达，发现了第一个通过雷达观测到的陨石坠落。

The meteorite was visible for more than four minutes from around 11.57 a.m. ET, according to NASA.  Winds might have carried smaller meteorites across the border into Canada, the agency noted.

据NASA称，从上午11点57分左右开始，持续四分钟多的时间在雷达都能观测到。该机构指出，风可能带着较小的陨石越过边境进入Canada。

So far, there have been no reports of finding any actual meteorites or pieces on the ground, but if anyone in the area does find something they suspect might be from space, you can talk to the experts.

到目前为止，还没有在地面上发现任何真正的陨石或碎片，但如果该地区的人确实发现了他们怀疑可能来自太空的东西，你可以向专家咨询。

"The best source in the state for determining whether the rock you found is one is the Maine Mineral and Gem Museum in Bethel.  They are the specialists who are trained in mineralogy and geology, and meteorites.  They’re really the best source of information for, you know, is the thing you found actually a meteorite or is it a ‘meteor-wrong? ’ A lot of people think it is, and it’s not,” said Shawn Laatsch, from the Versant Power Astronomy Center.

来自Versant能量天文中心的Shawn Laatsch说：“要确定你发现的岩石是否是一块石头，缅因州矿物和宝石博物馆可以给你提供参考。馆里的专家他们是受过矿物学、地质学和陨石方面训练，是最好的信息来源。让你知道你发现的东西真的是陨石还是“假陨石”，其实很多人认为他找到的是真的，但它并不是。”

Laatsch says we should all look out for the Lyrid meteor shower that peaks between April 21 and 22.

Laatsch说，我们都应该留意在4月21日至22日之间达到峰值的天琴座流星雨。

Mission, TexasMysterious 'boom' in south Texas was meteorite strike, officials say

德克萨斯州官员说，德克萨斯州南部的神秘“爆炸”是陨石撞击造成的

A museum in Maine is also offering $25,000 for the remains of the meteor.

缅因州的一家博物馆也出价2.5万美元购买这颗流星的残骸。

Darryl Pitt, head of the meteorite division at the Maine Mineral & Gem Museum, said he was keen to study any fragments of the meteorite, which could contain valuable information about the solar system.  The $25,000 reward is for the first meteorite piece found that weighs 2.2 pounds or more.  However, he said the museum would be willing to pay for any specimen "irrespective of its size."

缅因州矿物和宝石博物馆陨石部门的负责人Darryl Pitt说，他热衷于研究陨石的任何碎片，这些碎片可能包含关于太阳系的有价值的信息。第一块重达2.2磅或以上的陨石碎片将获得2.5万美元的奖励。不过，他说，博物馆愿意为任何标本付钱，“无论大小”。

"Finding meteorites in woods of Maine.  It's not the simplest of the environments," Pitt said.

Pitt 说：“在缅因州的森林里发现陨石，好像不会这么简单。”

"It's a sparsely populated area but not as sparsely populated as where most meteorites fall — the ocean," he added.

他补充说:“这是一个人口稀少的地区，但不像大多数陨石掉落的地方——海洋那样人口稀少。”

Worldwide, only eight to 10 meteorites are recovered each year out of hundreds seen falling to Earth, Pitt said.

Pitt 说，在全球范围内，每年只有8到10颗坠落地球的陨石被回收。

A meteorite would look different from the surrounding rocks, Pitt added.  The outside would likely be blackened — after being toasted by the heat as it plummeted through Earth's atmosphere — while the inside would likely be a different color.  It may also contain iron and therefore be attracted to a magnet.

Pitt 补充说，陨石看起来与周围的岩石不同。它的外部可能会变黑——因为它在穿过地球大气层时被热量烤焦了——而内部可能会是另一种颜色。它也可能含有铁，因此会被磁铁吸引。