An “unusually large meteor” lit up the skies over Norway on Sunday.
Spectators were treated to a natural sound and light display as the space rock headed through the night sky near Oslo, the Norwegian capital.
The Norwegian Meteor Network (NMN) said it had analysed several videos of the event to determine that the meteor first appeared about 55 miles north of Oslo, and continued its trail in a southwest direction before fragmenting in several flashes of light.
“The meteor appeared at 1:08am on the night of July 25 and was visible for approximately for 5 seconds,” NMN said.
The network, which has a number of cameras continuously monitoring the sky, said many observers reported hearing a roaring sound afterwards.
Preliminary data suggested a meteorite – the name for debris from meteors after it hits earth – may have landed in a large wooded area, called Finnemarka, some 40 miles west of the Norwegian capital, NMN said.
Some eyewitnesses also said they felt a stronger wind blow with the event also causing a pressure wave, Morten Bilet from NMN, told Reuters.
“That was crazy,” he said.
“What we had last night was a large rock travelling likely from between Mars and Jupiter, which is our asteroid belt. And when that whizzes in, it creates a rumble, light and great excitement among us (experts) and maybe some fear among others,” he said.
There were no reports of damage or people being particularly frightened, Bilet said, adding that for those nearest it was likely more of a “spooky” event.
A meteor that exploded over the central Russia near the city of Chelyabinsk in 2013 rained fireballs over a vast area and caused a shock wave that smashed windows, damaged buildings and injured 1,200 people.
Additional reporting by agencies
