An artist's impression of a meteor over Norwich. Please email rosa.mcmahon@archant.co.uk with some genuine pictures of last night's fireball, so we can replace this frankly ridiculous picture.

Huge fireball spotted over Norfolk

by DAN GRIMMER Saturday, September 22, 2012
8:50 AM

A huge fireball which was spotted travelling over Norfolk last night might have been a meteor or ‘space junk’, according to experts.

Readers contacted us last night to report a very bright light flying east to west just before 11pm.

There were reports from Fakenham, Weasenham, Surlingham, Dereham, Blakeney, Saxlingham Thorpe and near Holt, with witnesses describing it as green-coloured, with two smaller fragments behind it.

Neville Manley, of Weasenham, said: “It started off as a bright white light and then as it was flying the trailing bits appeared to be on fire.

“We have all seen shooting stars but this was really big. We expected to see it hit the ground and hear a big bang. It was really close.”

Colin Brown emailed us to say: “Have just seen a very bright light flying west over Surlingham

“There were also two smaller fragments following. It was bright enough to illuminate the clouds around it.

“It was faster than a plane but slower than a shooting star. I have never seen anything like it and I’m 48.”

Sarah MacDonald wrote: “We are in Bodham near Holt and have just seen what looked like a cluster of green lights flying over.

“It was massive, looked like it was disintegrating in the sky, breaking up with orange lights following, much bigger than an aeroplane.

“It looked like it was coming from Sheringham towards Holt, very weird never witnessed anything like it!”

Maria Clancy, from Saxlingham Thorpe, said: “At 10.45pm, I stood on my doorstep saying goodbye to a friend. In the sky we spotted at bright green light passing in an anti-clockwise direction followed by a trail of small lights. It wasn’t a plane and this mysterious object was travelling at a high speed.”

The fireball was also observed elsewhere in the country, with reports from Leeds, Preston and Newcastle.

Staff at the Kielder Observatory in Northumberland, taking to social media website Twitter to discuss what they described as “a huge fireball” and “an incredible object”.

The observatory tweeted: “This was big, trajectory went from east, south east and headed to the west, broke up over west coast, many fragments.

“Many many fragments, maybe in excess of 100 pieces started green went yellow, no sound but long obvious termination lasted 20-30 seconds.”

The observatory said it could have been a meteor, or possibly space junk, such as a satellite burning up as it enters the atmosphere.

Mary-Ann Knee, from Dereham, said: “Strangely we saw this exact thing on Wednesday night. We came home and searched the news to see if anyone had reported it.”

Did you see the fireball? And did you get a photograph or video of it? If so, email reporter Rosa McMahon on rosa.mcmahon@archant.co.uk

14 comments

I was never a believer until I saw it. Unfortunately mother insisted I get away from the window before I could attempt a series of photographs of the object. Regards, Whiley.

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Whiley Boy

Tuesday, September 25, 2012
The lack of information is probably because it was a 'spy' satellite.

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keith gerrard

Tuesday, September 25, 2012
This is almost certainly the NASA UARS satellite. A lower atmosphere satellite launched from the Discovery Shuttle over 6 years ago. It is the size of a double decker bus and weighs just shy of 6 tons. Re entering over Norfolk is a bit off NASA's predictions however.

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keith gerrard

Tuesday, September 25, 2012
It wasn't a meteorite, more likely Space junk or the failed launch of a satellite, from a position that would send it east to west, counter rotating so to speak, as some are mooting. We don't get many of those, great pictures.

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ingo wagenknecht

Sunday, September 23, 2012
I arrived home last night at 11pm the sky was bright behind my house I thought a neighbour must have a large light on.When i went round the corner I saw a large object shooting across the sky trailing bright fire behind with smaller objects behind That

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Shazza

Saturday, September 22, 2012
I'm really gutted that I didn't see it,as a couple of workmates got a really great view of the celestial show.There are two meteor showers next month,but I wouldn't expect to see a rogue comet amongst the debris.There was a pretty decent video of it on Youtube from some guy in Ireland.When I saw it I said ------ ---! The guy said exactly the same thing on his commentary! I know that you have to use artistic license quite literally regarding the story,but the size of the rock in that drawing would take out a couple of square miles of the city.

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Nexus_6

Saturday, September 22, 2012
Being very bright does not equate to being "huge". These are quite small objects burning up on entering the atmosphere. As for your artist's impression - we must assume heshe had been at the cactus juice.

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Chris Booty

Saturday, September 22, 2012
" might have been a meteor or ‘space junk’, according to experts. "....... nice work boys , my 2 year old could have worked that out !

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martin addams-smith

Saturday, September 22, 2012
three of us had just finnished a shift at british sugar at iipm about a mile down the road we stopped to look at what looked like a rocket on fire it was very bright emerald green in colour and yellow you could see like a headlight at the front at one time there was about six pieces flying off the back it was very closewe thought it might crash nearby.

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Dave Johnston

Saturday, September 22, 2012
I thought I was going mad as was a passenger in a car coming towards Chapelfield roundabout and it passed over head moving towards Earlham Road Unthank Road junction. The bizarre thing was there were loads of people around and I seemed to be the only person who saw it which made me doubt myself. It was amazing! I'm 42 and never seen anything like it.

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norwichred

Saturday, September 22, 2012
Seen similar sightings when on holiday abroad, looks amazing!

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jeffy

Saturday, September 22, 2012
It's a Nasa satellite. We knew it was coming. http:www.telegraph.co.uksciencespace8784573Nasa-satellite-visible-above-UK-before-crashing-to-Earth.html

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Caister Waster

Saturday, September 22, 2012
Best. Picture. Caption. Ever. :D From now on I ask, nay, DEMAND, all interesting news happens over the early hours of the weekend.

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Marc Crane

Saturday, September 22, 2012
Best. Picture. Caption. Ever. :D From now on I ask, nay, DEMAND, all interesting news happens over the early hours of the weekend.

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Marc Crane

Saturday, September 22, 2012