© UK Meteor Observation NetworkThe fireball filmed in Wilcot, Wiltshire was classified as a bolide which is the term used when a meteor causes a flash as bright as the moon.
Two huge fireballs were widely seen across the country as they blazed across the skies this weekend.
Dozens of skywatchers reported spotting the first meteor which flew over England, Wales and northern France shortly after midnight on Saturday.
Several even said they heard rumbling and 'multiple booms lasting 2-3 seconds' as the object passed overhead although others said it was silent.
Experts classified it as a bolide, which is the term used when a meteor causes a flash as bright as the moon.
Footage of the fireball, filmed in Wilcot, Wiltshire, shows a bright dot rapidly getting bigger as it travels across the sky.
It culminates in a huge flash of light before quickly reducing in size until it disappears.
Another meteor was seen flying across the same region six hours later with some witnesses reporting that it appeared to break up in the sky.
UK Meteor Observation Network member Richard Fleet said
the first fireball was the second brightest the country had seen in three years.
Comment: The American Meteor Society (AMS) has received over 100 reports (#4827-2017) of this meteor fireball seen over NY, MD, PA, VA, OH, DE, CT, NJ, RI, WV, NH, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, MA, DC, Connecticut and Maryland on Saturday, December 2nd 2017 around 08:09 UT. Included in these reports, 11 people mention hearing an associated sound, such as a "boom" or "crackle".
As well as visible celestial bodies, it is probable that space rock fragments are also exploding in the atmosphere. See also: BOOM! Mysterious blasts rattling the skies are on the increase around the world - UPDATE at least 64 documented events (VIDEO)
These related articles are from just last week:
- Mysterious boom rattles windows in Caledonia, Mississippi
- Another unexplained boom heard in Alabama (Update)
- Unexplained loud 'booms' rattling houses bewilder southern Arizonians
- Two large meteor fireballs blaze over southern England, dozens of people report hearing a deafening boom (UPDATE)
- Loud, house-shaking boom heard in northern Illinois
Even NASA's own space data supports citizens' recent observations, namely the inconvenient fact that meteor fireballs are increasing dramatically.