London meteor: locals stunned as fireball lights up london sky

The meteor passed over London, according to witnesses who caught a glimpse of the fireball streaking overhead on Tuesday, September 24, at 7.54pm BST. The meteor’s flyby has since been

confirmed by the UK Meteor Observation Network. The meteor-tracking group filmed the fireball appear over the East Barnet area in North London. The group said: “A massive fireball spotted

from our East Barnet Camera even through the cloud cover.” Eyewitnesses took to social media to report their sighting of the meteor. Twitter user Chris Cenci claims he was onboard a flight

to London Heathrow when he saw the fireball. He said: “I was flying UAL934 and saw it just before landing. The blue line is my best guess as to location and direction (SE to NW). So cool!”

Others reported the meteor sighting from Kingston, Buckinghamshire and West Horsely in Surrey. Samantha Jackson tweeted a the Meteor Observation Network: “Saw it whilst walking the dogs in

Hitchin Hertfordshire. Really green in colour. “Glad I found this tweet as hubby didn’t believe me.” Robert Currie asked on Twitter: “Anyone just see a super bright meteor over London

travelling northwards? “Am in South London and it shone white/yellow that burnt to a bright blue green flash happened at 7.55pm BST.” Jocelyn Le Conte said: Yes! I just saw this in Purley,

near Croydon. Glad it wasn't just me!” Amateur astronomer George Miller recorded dramatic footage of the London meteor, writing on Twitter: “Fireball seen from London 24 September at

19:54 UK Meteor Observation Network." Another Twitter user said he saw the meteor flash green overhead in Brondesbury. Kirsty Keith said she saw the meteor “green like a sideways fire

rock” from Walton on Thames. WHAT IS A METEOR? Meteoroids are small rocky or metallic bodies in outer space.  They are significantly smaller than asteroids and range in size from small

grains to one-metre-wide objects.  Objects smaller than this are classified as micrometeoroids or space dust.  US space agency NASA said: “When meteoroids enter Earth’s atmosphere – or that

of another planet, like Mars – at high speed and burn up, the fireballs or ‘shooting stars’ are called meteors. “When a meteoroid survives a trip through the atmosphere and hits the ground,

it’s called a meteorite.” The UK Meteor Observation Network has kept track of all meteors flying over the UK since 2012.