Space & Astronomy

Exploding meteor captured on doorbell camera

By T.K. Randall
February 4, 2020 ·  7 comments

The spectacle just happened to be within view of the camera. Image Credit: YouTube / SWNS / Gary Rogers Doorbell cameras seem to be everywhere these days and this has resulted in all manner of unusual "blink and you'll miss it" incidents being caught on film that would have otherwise gone unseen.

This most recent example, which was recorded outside the home of 52-year-old Gary Rogers in Derby on Monday night, shows a meteor careening down from the heavens, producing a very bright flash.

Rogers recalled how his home security system had alerted him to the event."I was in bed and was about to go to sleep when my phone pinged," he said. "I couldn't believe it. I thought it was a firework at first, but I listened to the sound and you couldn't hear any noise."

According to local astronomers, the object is what is known as a bolide.

"Mr Rogers was very lucky to get such a nice bright one," said Sherwood Observatory chairman Rob Dawes. "But you'd be surprised how many of these do come into the atmosphere at any time of year."


Source: BBC News | Comments (7)

Tags: Meteor, Fireball