Ireland stirred for the fire in the sky

The world of meteorite hunters rushed to find "heavenly rocks", after a large fireball was seen in the Irish sky on the evening of February 3.

The light block appeared in the sky over Ireland on February 3.Photo: Daily Mail.

Daily Mail said that many people across Ireland see big light around 6pm on Wednesday. Scientists believe it is a meteorite that plunges into the earth's atmosphere at a rate of about 160,000 km / h. Its destructive power is equivalent to a small atomic bomb exploding in the air.

David Moore - an expert at the Irish Astronomical Institute - said that most likely meteorites fell to the ground, not the sea. Many people along the coast supported his hypothesis because they also saw the fire.

"This is a big event. The ability to find a rock is relatively high," Moore commented.

"Heavenly stone" is a very valuable item. In 1999 a meteorite fell on Ireland and every gram it sold for $ 500 on the Internet.

The Coast Guard of Valentia Island, Ireland, said it received many phone calls across the country announcing the fireball. Some people called the headquarters of the Northern Ireland coast and said the meteorite fell on Lough Neagh - the lake has an area of ​​396 km ² in the north.

Joss Scott saw the fireball as she was driving near Mount Glenshane Pass, Londonderry County, Ireland.

"It's a very bright green fireball, with an orange trail behind it. It rushes in the sky and rushes north and disappears behind the dark clouds above the Sperrins Mountains. see a big orange glow. It was hard to forget , "Scott said.

Terry Moseley - a scientist from the Irish Astronomical Association, affirmed that this phenomenon was "extremely rare" and that the meteorite could not burn completely when touching the ground.

"Perhaps it is separated from a large meteorite in the universe. It burns when rubbed with the upper atmosphere. The fire block moves from south to north and can fall somewhere" , Moseley explained.

The Irish Astronomical Institute urges those who see the fireball to describe it on their website.

Meteors are rock pieces falling into the earth from the universe. They are often separated from larger and diverse meteorites. Many meteorites are smaller than rice grains, but some are larger than seats in stadiums. When entering the earth's atmosphere they rubbed the air and caught fire in the air before falling to the ground.