Suspected Meteorite Observed in Night Sky
A resident described the "bizarre" moment he witnessed a suspected meteorite streak across the night sky.
Lex Adair, a 34-year-old keen photographer from West Rainton, County Durham, said his CCTV system alerted him to a bright light passing near his home at approximately 00:30 BST.
Adair remarked that while he had previously seen shooting stars, he had never observed anything of this "calibre" and was surprised to see what he believed was a "massive meteor flying through the sky".
Expert Analysis and Reports
Roy Alexander, director of learning at Battlesteads Dark Sky Discovery Observatory in Northumberland, noted that there had been over 190 reports of the event, which he considered to be a "large meteorite".
Alexander explained the distinction between meteors and meteorites, stating that although both are commonly referred to as shooting stars, meteors are frequent and typically burn up in the atmosphere, whereas meteorites are rarer and generally large enough to survive atmospheric entry and reach the Earth's surface.
He further indicated that the meteorite was likely tracked from near Cardiff, moving across to Hull and Grimsby, before potentially landing in the North Sea.
Eyewitness Reaction
Adair expressed the need for confirmation of the unusual experience after waking up and sought a second opinion from his partner.
"It's not really what you expect to kind of see on your CCTV when you wake up first thing in the morning," he said.
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