‘It pierced the clouds’: Fireball spotted blazing over Europe (VIDEO, PHOTO)
Music fans were given an unexpected surprise when a fiery meteorite gatecrashed a set by the Foo Fighters during a Dutch music festival.
The American rockers were performing at Landgraaf’s Pinkpop festival when a fireball streaked across the sky. The celestial ball of light is thought to have been the same phenomenon observed in dozens of reports to the International Meteor Organization (IMO).
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The Belgian agency, which documents comet and meteor shower sightings, reported 90 eyewitness cases involving the fireball across Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, the Netherlands and France late on June 16.
A bright fireball was largely observed (more than 90 reports) and video recorded from Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, France and the Netherlands on June 16th, 21h 11 UT. If you observed it, please report it! Thanks in advance! https://t.co/Pr5XOqcZE3pic.twitter.com/mYbpSum04Z
— IMO Meteor Org. (@IMOmeteors) June 17, 2018
Sebastiaan de Vet, an astronomer with the Meteor Working Group in Holland, told RTL Nieuws that the phenomenon was likely a meteorite surrounded by particles of grit.
Meanwhile, German astronomer Uwe Reichert has posted a stunning image showing the shooting meteorite alongside the moon and a glimpse of the planet Venus.
Kurz nach dem Foto im letzten Tweet gelang mir um 23:11 Uhr MESZ dieser Schnappschuss: #Mond#Venus#Feuerkugel.Canon EOS 6D, f=180mm, ISO 4000, Bl. 10, t=1,6sec; mit Bildbearbeitung etwas aufgehellt. pic.twitter.com/16RGhWZk6s
— Uwe Reichert (@UReichert) June 16, 2018
“The fireball glowed white-green, resembling a bursting New Year’s eve rocket, but was much faster and moving in a straightforward manner. It pierced the clouds,” he said.
