Fireball

Earlier this week those who looked at the skies on Sunday night/Monday morning would have seen this…

Thousands of people across the country reported that they had seen a slow-moving meteor fireball on Sunday evening. The meteor colliding with Earth’s atmosphere created light and heat, as well as a loud boom or rumbling noise that was heard as far away as Ireland and the Netherlands.

I hadn’t realised that the sound of it reverberated so far. Quite something.

The meteor that fell into the Earth’s atmosphere likely began as an asteroid, out between Mars and Jupiter, but pieces of it could now be found in Cheltenham, according to researchers.

And:

The public has been advised to be careful around any pieces of asteroid that are discovered.

“If you do find a meteorite on the ground, ideally photograph it in place, note the location using your phone GPS, don’t touch it with a magnet, and, if you can, avoid touching it with your hands,” said Katherine Joy from the University of Manchester. “Pick it up in a clean bag or clean aluminium foil if possible!”

The UK Fireball Alliance, or UKFAll, asked people not to breach coronavirus lockdowns to search for pieces.

The UK Fireball Alliance have a very interesting site here.