Fire in the Sky
The asteroid was spotted by the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) survey at the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii some 15 hours after it made its close approach from our sun-facing blind spot.
Estimated to measure between five and 10 meters (16-32 feet) in diameter (about 5.5 refrigerators stacked on top of one another), 2020 VT4 made its closest approach at 17:20 Universal Time (UT) on Friday November 13 over the South Pacific, near the Pitcairn Islands.
Josua Hutagalung, 33, was at home when the football-sized meteorite smashed through the veranda at the edge of his living room.
The lump of space rock is worth £1.4millionCredit: East News Press Agency
Experts have hailed the 4.5billion-year-old space rock as one of the most significant meteorite finds ever - saying it could contain elements which give clues to the origins of life.
This bright meteor was recorded in the framework of the SMART project, operated by the Southwestern Europe Meteor Network (SWEMN) from the meteor-observing stations located at Sevilla, La Hita (Toledo) and Calar Alto (Almería). The event has been analyzed by the principal investigator of the SMART project: Dr. Jose M. Madiedo, from the Institute of Astrophysics of Andalusia (IAA-CSIC).
Witnesses in the area have said that paramedics and police officers are in attendance at an incident in the Westcott area of the town as of around 4pm on Monday (November 2).
However, it is not believed that this is in connection with the noise heard by a number of residents. People have taken to social media to question the source of the noise, with some speculating it may have been a "sonic boom".
Surrey Police has been contacted for more information. We will be providing all the latest updates and information as we receive it in our live blog below.
The fireball wasn't just spotted in Central Alabama; it was seen at multiple locations across Alabama, Georgia, the Carolinas, and Tennessee.
It was even seen a time or two as far away as Kentucky, Virginia and Florida!
According to reports submitted to the American Meteor Society, it was seen burning up in Earth's atmosphere near Birmingham, Montgomery, Huntsville, Auburn, and Troy just to name a few Alabama cities.
The most concentrated area of reports came in from around Atlanta, Georgia. That's likely due to the amount of people there that could have witnessed it.
A large fireball dazzled onlookers across the US when it entered the atmosphere on November 14. The fireball was so bright some people claimed to be "frightened".
Tens of people swarmed to the International Meteor Organisation (IMO) to report their sighting.
Eric wrote on the IMO: "I've seen shooting stars in the past, but this one was much larger than anything I've seen before.
"It honestly frightened me and my girlfriend."
A video from Daniel B, a resident in Albany, Missouri was uploaded to their website.
A single video of the event is available:
The event was recorded in the framework of the SMART project, operated by the Southwestern Europe Meteor Network (SWEMN), from the meteor-observing stations located at Calar Alto (Almería), Sierra Nevada (Granada), La Sagra (Granada), La Hita (Toledo), and Sevilla.














