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'Meteors' sighted in skies across UK 'Meteors' sighted in skies across UK
(about 7 hours later)
People from across the UK have reported seeing bright objects in the night sky, thought to be meteors.People from across the UK have reported seeing bright objects in the night sky, thought to be meteors.
Coastguards in Northern Ireland took calls from people who saw the objects from Coleraine on the north coast, to Strangford Lough in the south east. Sightings were also made in Dublin. Coastguards in Northern Ireland took calls from people who saw the objects from Coleraine on the north coast, to Strangford Lough in the south east.
The lights were also seen in parts of central Scotland including Grangemouth, Edinburgh and Glasgow. The lights were seen as far north as Caithness in north-east Scotland and as far south as Norfolk in East Anglia.
And a meteor was reported in Norfolk and at Walsall in the West Midlands. Experts said the meteors could be space junk, possibly satellite debris, burning up on entry to the atmosphere.
Brian Guthrie in Grangemouth, who watched the objects pass through the sky, said it appeared to be something "pretty large breaking up in the atmosphere". The meteor shower has so far also been reported in Walsall in the West Midlands, parts of north-east England, Wales and in Scottish cities such as Glasgow and Edinburgh.
Brian Guthrie in Grangemouth near Edinburgh, who watched the objects pass through the sky, said it appeared to be something "pretty large breaking up in the atmosphere".
"I've seen shooting stars and meteor showers before, but this was much larger and much more colourful.""I've seen shooting stars and meteor showers before, but this was much larger and much more colourful."
Coastguards in the Shetland Islands received what they believe is Scotland's most northerly sighting of the meteor at 23:00 BST.
They were called by a member of the public who had seen a bright white light in the sky over the Stacks of Duncansby in Caithness.
One person who contacted the BBC said it was "kind of a mass of light, gold light. Everything moving in unison".One person who contacted the BBC said it was "kind of a mass of light, gold light. Everything moving in unison".
"It wasn't diverging or whatever. I thought it was a plane at first. It was quite low on the horizon and moving much slower than I'd expect to see a shooting star, but it was amazing.""It wasn't diverging or whatever. I thought it was a plane at first. It was quite low on the horizon and moving much slower than I'd expect to see a shooting star, but it was amazing."
Another said the sight was "like Independence Day" in reference to the film about an alien invasion of Earth.Another said the sight was "like Independence Day" in reference to the film about an alien invasion of Earth.
"It was broken up by the time I saw it. There must have been 10 or 15 huge pieces on fire, white hot with red down the side.""It was broken up by the time I saw it. There must have been 10 or 15 huge pieces on fire, white hot with red down the side."
Colin Johnston, from Armagh Planetarium in Northern Ireland, says it is unlikely to be part of one of the meteor showers expected this month. Durham Constabulary said they were "inundated" with calls from members of the public across the north-east who were "concerned" as to the sightings of unidentified flying objects lighting up the night sky.
Dr Tim O'Brien, associate director of the Jodrell Bank Observatory, told the BBC is was difficult to know the cause the meteor shower.
"It's hard to say exactly, whether it was a chunk of rock coming in from outer space, burning up in the atmosphere or a bit of space debris, we call it, space junk, which is basically man-made stuff from a spacecraft that's burning up in the atmosphere.
"[The meteor was] probably 80 miles up or so, high up, moving very fast, actually, 18,000 miles an hour, probably, at least."
Colin Johnston, from Armagh Planetarium in Northern Ireland, says it is unlikely to be part of one of the meteor showers expected this month.
"There are actually several small, faint, meteor showers scheduled across September but they're so unspectacular, not many people actually bother looking for them."There are actually several small, faint, meteor showers scheduled across September but they're so unspectacular, not many people actually bother looking for them.
"I think that actually this spectacle tonight might not be associated with that. "I think that actually this spectacle tonight might not be associated with that."
"I think it's something just by chance has happened to come in tonight, some piece of actual space junk floating around the universe for billions of years has just picked tonight to fall in across our skies or some satellite that's been up for some years has decided to burn up." Mr Johnston agreed the cause was probably orbital debris.
"I think it's something just by chance has happened to come in tonight, some piece of actual space junk floating around the universe for billions of years has just picked tonight to fall in across our skies or some satellite that's been up for some years has decided to burn up," he said.