People across Belgium spotted a bright fireball in the sky last night. It was a meteor or shooting star. Cameras at the MIRA Observatory in Grimbergen (Flemish Brabant) were able to film the meteor.
"At around 10pm last night, a very bright meteor could be seen in many parts of Belgium and the Netherlands. It’s possible the fireball could even be seen as far away as the UK, but that remains to be confirmed," says Philippe Mollet of MIRA Observatory in Grimbergen.
"Meteors are debris that suddenly dive into the earth’s atmosphere from the solar system at enormous speeds," Mollet explains. "These speeds cause a lot of friction which can result in the debris burning up at an altitude of 100km to 120 km. It's what we know as a shooting star."
Only if the debris is large enough - 5 to 10 centimetres in size - and it does not burn up completely, can particles land on the earth's surface. "That's what we call meteorites."
Although last night's fireball was bright and clearly visible, Mollet doubts that the meteor was of that order of magnitude to allow fragments to be recovered from it. "I don't think the meteor was big enough to result in surviving debris. We probably won't be looking for meteorites in the next few days."