Reports of meteor in Sussex skies

Stargazers were stunned by an apparent meteor over Storrington and Mid Sussex yesterday evening

Published 10th Jan 2023

Stargazers were stunned by an apparent meteor over the UK yesterday evening which were reported spotted over the skies of West and Mid Sussex.

One woman said she "had just turned my computer off and looked up out of the window" before spotting an object streaking across the sky, adding: "It was perfect timing."

The Met Office tweeted: "Reports of a meteor in the sky over the UK just now. If you managed to take any footage we'd love to see it".

The public responded with clips and reports from Sussex, London, Hertfordshire and Wolverhampton, among others.

Laura, who did not wish to give her surname, from Rickmansworth in Hertfordshire, caught the flying object on camera at around 8pm from her front room.

Her video showed a light streaking through the sky above a residential area for just under 10 seconds before disappearing from view.

She told the PA news agency: "I had just turned my computer off and looked up out of the window, it was perfect timing.

"It wasn't like a shooting star I have seen in the past. It seemed overwhelmingly close.

"It was large in the sky, orange with an orange blaze behind it, not what I would describe as a long shooting star tail but a shorter orange one.

"Then it just disappeared... Popped out of the sky. It seemed like it hadn't really happened. I tried to tell my husband but they didn't quite believe my account!"

A Met Office spokesman told PA the time of day and clear skies contributed to the quality of the sightings.

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