Scientists Explain What Object Looked Like A Bright Flash In The Sky This Week

Researchers believe that rock formed in the outer asteroid belt burned up before it could

fall to the surface of the earth. It was spotted in northern Europe on Monday.

Observers in England, Wales and the Netherlandssaw a "shooting star" last night. Footage captured on dash cams, video doorbells, mobile phones and dedicated camera networks was subsequently analyzed to learn more about the fireball. After analysis by the UK Meteor Network (UKMON), the researchers concluded that the rock simply wasn't big enough to hit the ground. Therefore, it cannot be called a meteorite.

“The fragment came from somewhere in the outer beltasteroids and crashed into the Earth's atmosphere at a speed of about 10 km / s, which is quite slow for rocks of this kind, ”explains Ashley King, meteorite expert and member of the British Fireball Alliance (Eng. UK Fireball Alliance, UKFAII) in a press Released by the Museum of Natural History. The fireball appeared almost two years after the Winchcombe meteorite fell in the city of the same name in Gloucestershire. Much of the space rock, as well as fragments of the access road it fell on, are now part of the collections of the Natural History Museum.

The fireball was reported on 9 January at 20:00:00 local time, more than 500 people, and 13 cameras recorded his movement. Although the researchers are disappointed that the rock did not fall to Earth, they are pleased with how quickly they were able to respond.

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