Fire in the SkyS


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Meteor fireball over France on May 19

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© Patrick R.
We received 5 reports about a fireball seen over Île-de-France, Centre-Val de Loire, Normandie and Pays de la Loire on Friday, May 19th 2023 around 00:22 UT.

For this event, we received 2 videos and 2 photos.


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Meteor fireball over France on May 18

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© Patrick R.
We received 5 reports about a fireball seen over Île-de-France, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté and Hauts-de-France on Thursday, May 18th 2023 around 01:41 UT.

For this event, we received one video and one photo.


Cloud Lightning

Meteor fireball over Spain (May 9)

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This video shows a bolide recorded on May 9, at 5:37 local time (equivalent to 3:37 universal time). The event was generated by a rock (a meteoroid) from an asteroid that hit the atmosphere at about 78,000 km/h. The fireball overflew Valencia and Castellón (Spain). It began at an altitude of about 88 km over Caudete de las Fuentes (province of Valencia), moved northeast, and ended at a height of around 60 km over Ayódar (province of Castellón).

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 La Hita (Toledo), Calar Alto, Sierra Nevada, La Sagra (Granada), Sevilla, and Olocau (Valencia). 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).


Cloud Lightning

Meteor fireball over Ontario on May 16

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We received 6 reports about a fireball seen over MI, Ontario and PA on Tuesday, May 16th 2023 around 06:56 UT.

For this event, we received one video and one photo.


Meteor

Londoners report hearing loud 'explosion' during coronation preparations, another 'gigantic bang' is heard less than a week later

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People on Twitter have reported hearing the noise in Marble Arch and around the parade route
A huge bang was heard in Central London today as thousands of people start to gather for the King's Coronation, with speculation rife over what caused the mystery sound. There's no suggestion of any emergency, but people in centre of the city reported hearing a huge bang at about 11.45am today (Friday, May 5).


Comment: Just a day later on May 6th: Meteor fireball over England, Ireland and Belgium on May 6


One person wrote on Twitter simply asking: "Anyone in London just hear that explosion?" Several people replied to say they had heard it too with one saying they'd heard it in Marble Arch, right near the route of the King's Coronation Procession where crowds are already gathering and milling about ahead of tomorrow's festivities. However there are also reports of a loud bang being heard in Brixton and Fulham.


Comment: That's about 6.5 miles away.


Comment: So whilst there's no definitive answer on what it was, the claim that it was thunder seems to be a little weak.

On May 11th, 6 days after the loud bang in London, and 5 days after the confirmed report of a meteor fireball over the UK, another 'gigantic bang' was reported in London:
Londoners were in a panic after a "gigantic bang" was heard across the city. Emergency services attended the scene after World War II bomb was found in Stables Market, Camden. People flocked to social media to ask what the "bang" was with some thinking it could have been thunder as storms roll in across the capital in line with Met Office forecasts but others in nearby locations thought the bomb had exploded.

At the same time, a lightning bolt is said to have hit Belsize Park in Camden, causing the loud "bang" heard by many.

One Twitter user said: "Currently in a Camden Office, there are ongoing evacuations because of a WW2 bomb found nearby, it hasn't exploded so far, apparently the bang was a lightning strike in Belsize park leading to a school being evacuated."

Another user shared photos from the scene showing police and fire service in the area.

User @EmmaLeBentley said: A WW2 bomb has just gone off in the car park (Camden)."


London Fire Brigade confirmed firefighters attended the scene but "no explosion took place".

The service said: "Firefighters assisted emergency services after a report of a suspected unexploded ordnance in Camden. Following specialist examination, the item was declared safe and a cordon was lifted.

"No explosion took place. A loud noise reported in the area is believed to have been thunder."

Some weren't as quick to believe that the loud noise was an explosion, believing it was a result of the storms rolling across the UK.

Twitter user @RupertMyers said: "Hmm, looks like a bomb *has* been found in Camden, but since I saw the lightning flash and heard thunder, followed by a big downpour, I think we're dealing with a coincidence here."
So, it may be that neither incident is related to the surge in reports of fireballs and associated loud bangs, and it's notable that these two reports were in London; however just over a month earlier on March 4th, residents of Leicester reported hearing a sonic boom and feeling their houses shake. In this instance, no explanation for the sound was given by authorities:





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Mysterious 'fireballs' spotted over Japan's Okinawa Prefecture

fireball japan May 10, 2023
© Nippon TV News 24 JapanA fireball-like object is seen crossing the sky over Okinawa Prefecture on the evening of May 10, leaving a long trail of bright light in the night sky.
Residents captured footage of bright lights streaking across the night sky in southern Japan

Strange fireball-like objects were seen flying over Japan's Okinawa Prefecture on Wednesday night, according to local news reports, with several eyewitnesses taking to social media to share clips of the spectacle.

A video captured by an NHK reporter around 8:30pm local time shows the objects blazing through the sky near Naha City in Japan's southernmost region. The journalist said they were "surprised" by the sighting, noting "At first, I thought they were fireworks, but I didn't hear any sound and they moved in a straight line."

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Large bolide over Algeria on May 7

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Meteorite strikes through roof of German family's house on April 25

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A German family in Schleswig-Holstein has been unlucky enough to have their house hit by a falling meteor. Thankfully, the falling rock was only the size of a tennis ball.

German family house hit by a meteor

A truly unexpected guest has paid a visit to a family's home in Schleswig-Holstein. On Tuesday, an oblong rock about the size of a tennis ball penetrated the roof of the family house in Elmshorn.

According to a report in the local newspaper, the Elmshorner Nachrichten, the meteor weighed about 225 grams and was part of a pair which fell on the town, with the other forming a small crater in a nearby residential area.


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A meteorite may have crashed through the roof of a New Jersey home on May 8, police say

A metallic object believed to be a meteorite crashed through the roof a home on Old Washington Crossing Pennington Road in Hopewell Township on Monday, May 8, 2023.
© Hopewell Township PoliceA metallic object believed to be a meteorite crashed through the roof a home on Old Washington Crossing Pennington Road in Hopewell Township on Monday, May 8, 2023.
Officials were trying to determine if a metallic object that smashed through the roof of a Hopewell Township house Monday was a meteorite.

The oblong, 4-inch-by-6-inch object penetrated the the roof of Old Washington Crossing Pennington Road ranch-style home, then crashed through the ceiling and stopped after it hit the hardwood floor, according to a statement from the Hopewell Township Police Department.

The house was occupied at the time but no injuries were reported, police said.

The department said it has contacted several other agencies to aid in identifying the object and safeguarding the residents.

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Meteor fireball over England, Ireland and Belgium on May 6

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We received 9 reports about a fireball seen over County Dublin, England and Vlaams Gewest on Saturday, May 6th 2023 around 04:00 UT.

For this event, we received one video.