Latest news with #UKMON
Telegraph
04-07-2025
- Science
- Telegraph
Meteor pieces may have landed in Scotland
The remnants of a meteor that lit up British skies on Thursday may have landed in Scotland. The orange glowing rock streaked across the sky north of the border shortly after midnight. Experts said pieces of the small meteor, which originated from between Mars and Jupiter, could have landed between two Highland lochs. UK Meteor Network (UKMON) said it may have scattered debris between the lochs Treig and Etricht, to the east of Fort William. The group added that it was descending when it was sighted at a speed of approximately 12,427mph. It may also have landed near Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in the country. The last meteorite found on British soil was in Winchcombe, Devon, in February 2021, which was the first in 30 years. The first piece of that meteor was discovered on a driveway and later found to contain extra-terrestrial water that closely resembled Earth's oceans. Shocked onlookers were so surprised by the meteor sighting over Scotland that they called the emergency services. The Coastguard said one caller had alerted them to 'unidentified lights' over the Tay Road Bridge in Dundee shortly after 1am. 'Broughty Ferry lifeboat was called to investigate alongside Dundee Coastguard Rescue Team and with nothing untoward found, the search was stood down,' a spokesman said. 'The sighting was believed to have been related to a meteorite shower reported across parts of the UK.' Mistaken for a missile Andy McNeill, who saw the meteor overhead in Appin, Argyll and Bute, told BBC News: 'There was a bright flash over the house which also caused the Wi-Fi to reset, and then maybe 20 to 30 seconds later an explosive bang. 'There was also contrail in the sky, striking broadly east to west.' Ringold Abolins, a lorry driver from Merseyside, said he thought the meteor was a 'missile' when he saw it while driving on the M74 to Glasgow. 'It burned out in two to four seconds. It was so quick and [there] was [a] small green line behind,' he said. 'I thought in [the] first moment it was a kind of rocket or missile.'
BBC News
04-07-2025
- Science
- BBC News
Pieces of asteroid may have landed across west Highlands, say experts
Experts believe pieces of a small asteroid that lit up the night sky over parts of the UK on Thursday have landed in the west of people reported an orange glow and a "bang", and the meteor was captured streaking across the sky on doorbell security Meteor Network (UKMON), which played a part finding Gloucestershire's Winchcombe meteorite in 2021, said the small asteroid had travelled from between Mars and said it was observed descending to about 12 miles (20km) above the ground and pieces could be scattered across a vast area between lochs Treig and Etricht. The network - which started in 2012 and involves more than 200 amateur astronomers - uses observations, captured footage and computer programs to calculate orbits and trajectories to figure out where meteorites land. The sightings of the small asteroid were made after said potential locations for the meteorites could be around Ben Nevis - the UK's highest Hanlon told BBC Scotland News she felt her house in nearby Fort William shake. She added: "My husband and kids slept through it though." Ray Whyte was staying in a static caravan with his dog Rocky while working in Glen Nevis near Ben Nevis when he was startled by the said: "I couldn't sleep after a hard day so got up for a coffee."Me and the dog jumped out our skin with the bang."I missed the light as the curtains were drawn, but the whole static shook like it had been used as a drum or a vehicle had hit the side."Left us both pretty scared and confused." 'Going dark' UKMON said the asteroid was travelling at about 12,427mph (20,000kmh) when it entered Earth's was seen burning as brightly as a full moon before "going dark".Wind and other weather data, as well as any information gathered by the UK Fireball Alliance, is used to help work out where meteorites has appealed to hillwalkers to keep a lookout for pieces of meteorite and has advice on its website on how to identify the space the organisation said finding meteorites would be difficult in a vast area of mountains and Winchcombe meteorite was the first to be found on UK soil for 30 said the rock travelled for millions of years before reaching Earth.
