A bright meteor was spotted over parts of England and Scotland on Saturday evening.
More than 250 people across the UK reported sightings of the space rock to the International Meteor Organisation.
It was classified as a fireball because of its brightness. The UK Fireball Network said it was travelling at fast speeds of 31.7 kilometres per second.
“Last night’s fireball seen over Scotland and England was a meteoroid from the outer main asteroid belt,” the network said on Twitter.
“It was unusual as its orbit took it past Mercury, which explains why it came in so fast. Sadly, no meteorites survived, it burnt up 38km up.”
Meteors are pieces of debris from space that burn up in Earth’s atmosphere, causing a bright streak across the skies and appearing as "shooting stars".
Many Twitter users also reported seeing the space rock, which flew across the sky for about six seconds.
“I saw it in Banstead. Absolutely incredible – bright ball with a glowing green front edge and long white tail. Couldn't believe what I was seeing!” said Twitter user Janie Walker.
Una Hogan, posted on the messaging site to say: “Saw this blue-tailed fireball on our way from Glasgow to Edinburgh this evening. Looked like it was right in front of us! Spectacular!”
“Seen this in Bristol, thought I was imagining it. It was spectacular,” Samantha Huggins said on Twitter.
Last year, a rare meteorite was recovered from a driveway in Gloucestershire. Hundreds of people across the UK had reported its sighting.
Top space missions in 2022 - in pictures
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From launching the first Arab mission to the Moon to looking into the early universe using the world’s most powerful telescope – the new year is going to be a busy one for space exploration. The National looks at some of the most exciting missions scheduled for 2022. Photo: Nasa -
Engineers at the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre have been planning a Moon mission since 2017. They have built a 10-kilogram rover called Rashid that will study lunar soil and its properties. It is scheduled for a launch sometime between August to December 2022. Photo: Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre -
The final prototype of the UAE's Rashid Moon rover. Photo: Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre -
Two Emirati candidate astronauts are to begin training at Nasa’s Johnson Space Centre in Houston, Texas, in January. Mohammed Al Mulla, a Dubai Police helicopter pilot, and Nora Al Matrooshi, a mechanical engineer, will spend two years in training. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
Nora Al Matrooshi and Mohammed Al Mulla will learn the systems of the International Space Station, the Russian language, robotics and how to perform spacewalks. Once they graduate, both astronauts would become eligible for space missions. AP -
Nora Al Matrooshi and Mohammed Al Mulla are the generation of astronauts that could go to the Moon one day. The UAE has its sights set on human missions to the lunar surface. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
US space agency Nasa is preparing the space launch system and Orion spacecraft for the Artemis 1 launch on March 12, which will involve a three-week, uncrewed test flight to the Moon. AFP / Nasa -
During the mission, the Orion spacecraft will fly 100 kilometres above the Moon’s surface and then use its gravitation force to become captured in an opposite orbit about 70,000 kilometres from the Moon. EPA / Nasa -
Completion of China’s space station is scheduled for the end of 2022. The Tiangong’s core module Tianhe is already in orbit and has been hosting astronauts, including Wang Yaping, its first female astronaut. Xinhua / AP -
Wang Yaping was sent to the station earlier this year. On November 8, the 41-year-old also became the first Chinese female astronaut to perform a spacewalk. Xinhua / AP -
South Korea plans to launch its first lunar mission in 2022. The Korea Pathfinder orbiter will be launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Photo: Korea Aerospace Research Agency -
The James Webb Space Telescope will be capable of 'looking back' 13.5 billion years to see the first stars and galaxies of the universe and search for signs of life. It was launched on Saturday, December 25, 2021, and it is expected to make several discoveries when it becomes operational in 2022. Reuters
