Meteor seen in UK night sky

What seemed to be a meteor was spotted flying across the night sky in England and Wales

By Nicole Hamer |

14:57 10 May 2013

Stargazers from across England and Wales spotted a green ‘fireball’ flying across the night sky this week. It is thought by some that this was a meteor shooting across the sky.

Sightings happened in places stretching from Cornwall to Lancashire, including South Wales.

Some people who spotted the bright light took to social network Twitter to comment on what they saw.

One user of the site, Suzy Buttress, from Hampshire, posted the following: “I have just seen the biggest meteor in my life! It was also noticeably green, and appeared very large compared to regular meteors I've seen.”

Reportedly some experts said the celestial body could have come from Halley’s Comet.

Professor Alan Fitzsimmons, of the Queen's University Belfast Astrophysics Research Centre, told the BBC that it was more likely to have been a fireball, and that it did not come from Halley’s Comet.

One reason why some scientists may have referred to the Comet following the sighting could be because of its large size.

Also because planet Earth passes through Halley’s Comet two times each year, as reported by The Independent.
Halley’s Comet is thought to have been discovered in the early 18th Century.