RESIDENTS in Frinton were astonished to spot a huge ‘fireball’ meteor soaring through the sky.
The meteor was seen by fascinated onlookers across Essex with videos and images shared online showing the ball of light flying over towns at around 8pm.
Residents from Frinton and Kirby shared their thoughts about the phenomenon on social media.
One Frinton resident said: “We saw this driving through Kirby last night was amazing.”
Another addded: “I saw a meteor back in 2017 on the seafront and to this day it was still the most incredible thing I had ever seen.”
The spectacular sight comes on the same night that a modified Virgin Boeing 747 named Cosmic Girl took off from Newquay Airport, with a 21m LauncherOne rocket attached to its wing.
Essex Weather Centre tweeted: "Anyone witness an object burning up in the atmosphere around 8.02pm? Spectacular sight in the western sky."
— Richard Harrison (@dickyharrison) January 9, 2023
Meteors are pieces of debris that enter Earth's atmosphere at speeds of up to 43 miles per second (70km per second), vaporising and causing the streaks of light we call meteors.
The UK Meteor Network is a citizen science project collecting meteor data to help scientists study our solar system
For more information on meteors visit ukmeteornetwork.co.uk/
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here