Large Meteor in the Sky Last Night

A large blue meteor was spotted last night (8th May) travelling across the night sky by people in many parts of England and Wales. Many observers suggested it was a fireball, a brighter-than-usual meteor. The International Astronomical Union defines a fireball as "a meteor brighter than any of the planets" (magnitude −4 or greater).

Watch amateur footage here.

Sightings of the celestial body were reported on Twitter in areas such as Cornwall, Hampshire, Lancashire, south Wales and Worcestershire.

Suzy Buttress, of Basingstoke, described witnessing the meteor as a "once in a lifetime thing".
Space scientist Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock said the phenomenon was likely to have been debris from Halley's Comet.

Dr Aderin-Pocock explained what could have caused the spectacle.

"Unfortunately I didn't see this meteor myself, but I think what's unusual is the size of this one. With meteor showers people will see a number of meteors over an hour, so let's say six or 10 an hour.
"It seems that this one was particularly large and particularly bright, which is why it's caught so much attention.
"It's quite likely to be part of the Eta Aquarids, which is the debris left by Halley's Comet.
"And twice a year we pass through the debris left behind by the comet and when this happens we see more of these shooting stars but there must have been a large lump left behind which is what caused such a bright meteor to be seen."