Blazing Fireball Sightings over Scotland Skies Probably a Meteorite

A SIGHTING of a fireball blazing its way across the sky near Annan has prompted more reports.

A sighting of a fireball blazing its way across the sky near Annan has prompted more reports

An appeal by the UK Meteor Observation Network (UKMON) for sightings at about 5.15 pm last Wednesday prompted an account from someone driving from Eaglesfield to Annan.

Adding to the reports, Helen Carruthers said: “I saw a very bright white light for a few seconds as I was walking the dog in Ecclefechan on Wednesday at the time stated, and it travelled from left to right, then just disappeared.”

Ed Woodman has also added his own account of the sighting. He said: “At approximately 5.15 pm I was approaching the the Tesco roundabout from Eastriggs when I noticed a light object with a faint trail behind it, shooting across the sky from east to west “It was moving at tremendous speed and initially I thought it was a low flying fighter jet. “But then, as it suddenly flared bright white, it disappeared.”

Mark Toner from Dumfries Astronomy Society says November was a busy month for meteor sightings. Addressing the local sightings, Mark said: “If it was west to east I’d say they’d seen the International Space Station. “But the fact it’s going east to west — there’s very few things that do that in the evening like that and then disappear, because they’re heading towards the sun.”

He added: “I think the fact that it’s flared out and disappeared, I think it is probably some kind of meteorite.” Mark says UKMON are most particularly interested in bolide meteors, which explode in a bright terminal flash at their end — often with visible fragmentation.

He said: “You can see stuff burning and melting off them; they’re really spectacular.
“A few almost hit various Russian cities over the last few years.”

And Mark reveals that NASA recorded 30 fireball sightings on November 25, as part of a busy month.
He said: “There’s been a lot.”

Rod Edgar, DNG

Editor’s comment:

Does it seem like there has been an increase in meteor fireballs entering our atmosphere over the last few years?