An exceptionally bright meteor has been observed in the skies above Belgium, according to the Mira Observatory. As the fireball was so bright, there is a chance that a fragment may have landed in north-western France.
The meteor was observed over Belgium at around 9.40 pm last night. So far, 583 reports have been received via the International Meteor Organisation (IMO) network. In the first 200 reports processed, France is most strongly represented accounting for 128 reports, followed by Belgium (54, of which 47 are from Flanders), the Netherlands (10 reports), the United Kingdom (6 reports) and Germany (2 reports).
The sightings indicate an exceptionally intense brightness. Eyewitnesses describe the brightness as comparable to or greater than that of the full moon. The phenomenon was visible for 3 to 4 seconds, with durations ranging from one second to 20 seconds.
“This was a very bright fireball,” says Philippe Mollet of the Mira Observatory. “Given the intensity, it is suspected that the space rock did not burn up completely in the atmosphere and that a fragment has landed on Earth.”
