Fireball spotted, sonic boom heard in skies above Scotland

A bright flash over the skies of northeastern Scotland, and the rumbling sound that followed, were most likely caused by a meteor approximately 10 centimeters (4 inches) across which caused a sonic boom as it flashed across the sky, a UK astronomer has told BBC News. (Check out the BBC to see viewer-submitted videos of the flash)

The incident, which was observed as far south as Berwickshire in the Scottish Borders and was also visible in Perthshire, Aberdeenshire and the Highlands, took place sometime around 18:45 local time on Monday night. Several eyewitnesses called police after seeing the fireball. Others reported hearing a rumbling sound that lasted roughly 10 seconds, the Telegraph added.

While the cause of the bright flash and the rumbling sound have yet to be fully verified, Keith Horne, a professor at St. Andrews University, told the BBC that they were likely caused by an object traveling at speeds of nearly 30 kilometers per second, and meteorologists confirmed it could not have been a weather-related incident, as no thunderstorm activity was detected.

Robert Massey, deputy executive director for the Royal Astronomical Society, told CNN.com that, based on footage recorded by observers, the object could have been a low-altitude meteor igniting as a fireball. He called reports of the sound that accompanied it were “interesting” and added that anyone who caught a glimpse of the object “can consider themselves lucky.”

‘The most surreal thing I have ever experienced’

Horne told BBC Radio Scotland that the object was indeed a space rock that began to burn up once it hit Earth’s atmosphere. As it does so, it releases energy into the air, which results in “a bright flash.” While larger than the average dust-sized meteor, this object likely burnt up at an altitude of 32 kilometers (20 miles) without any bits reaching the surface, he added.

While the object most likely posed no danger and caused no damage, it did result in an unique show for those who, as Massey said, were lucky enough to have witnesses it. One driver named Jenni Morrison, who captured dashcam footage of the event, told the BBC that it was “the most surreal thing I have ever experienced.”

“It was pitch black and then all of a sudden it was like a light switch went on. It became daylight – the whole sky lit up. I looked at my son, he looked at me and then it just went black again,” she added. “We didn’t realize what it was at the time until we looked back on my dashcam. We saw the ball of light over the trees on the left side coming down at some speed and then a massive flash… It was scary and amazing at the same time.”

Monday’s event follows a much larger fireball event burned up, virtually unnoticed at the time despite releasing as much energy as 13,000 tons of TNT, according to the Telegraph. According to experts, an estimated 30 small asteroid enter and disintegrate in the planet’s atmosphere each year, with the majority of them falling over the ocean and having no impact on populated parts of the world.

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Image credit: BBC/Dee Scholes