2023-12-31 17:45:46
It all starts with a report on social networks. On the night of Friday December 29 to Saturday December 30, a Finisterian wondered regarding the possible passage of a “meteorite” which would have crossed the sky at Ergué-Gabéric (29), near Quimper. A publication which caused quite a few reactions. At first, some rather suspected a possible visual failure on the part of the Internet user, given the late hour at which the publication was written. It was a little following 3 a.m. But, when contacted, the Internet user does not budge and maintains his version at all costs.
“Like a flame”
“There are plenty of people who don’t believe me. But I saw what I saw. I was totally lucid, I was coming out of work,” he confides before describing the scene. “It happened really quickly. I saw a ball of fire in the sky with blue, white. It was like a flame. It lit up the sky for half a second,” says the man who went through the comments nestled under his publication on social networks one by one.
And between two mockeries, the Finisterian was nevertheless able to count on some support from residents of the area. If some saw nothing but were awakened by one or two “big booms” that night, others, including a resident of Saint-Évarzec, also claimed to have seen this luminous phenomenon in the sky during this night of December 29 to 30.
Around a hundred reports
If it turns out to be very complicated to obtain images of the phenomenon despite the numerous public webcams filming Breton beaches and ports, some research on the internet has made it possible, without necessarily affirming it, to further support the night vision for the budding astronomer. On the Vigie-Ciel interactive map
, more than a hundred reports were actually made by other individuals. Reports also suggest the passage of this “meteorite” between 3:05 a.m. and 3:20 a.m. (French time) over Brittany, Normandy and the United Kingdom, particularly around London and Birmingham. It is also across the Channel that most of the reports were made, this time with the publication of several videos formally showing the light phenomenon.
Meteorite, meteor or bolide?
In summary, the Finisterian’s version is indeed plausible… Except that it is not a meteorite but rather a meteor, or even a racing car. Explanations. According to the American Meteor Society, a meteoroid is debris from an asteroid or comet. As for the meteor, it is defined as the luminous trail caused by the entry into the atmosphere of this debris. An extremely bright meteor is then described as a bolide. As for the meteorite, it is designated as the fragment of a meteoroid which survived its passage through the atmosphere and which fell to the earth’s surface.
Although this type of phenomenon is impressive, it is not so rare. On December 25, 2022, a meteor had already been observed in the Breton sky. Ditto in April 2022 and September 2021 or even July 2011. And there were probably others that we don’t know. Now, it remains to be seen whether it was a meteor or a meteorite and whether the meteorite will one day be found.
A scientific program led by the National Museum of Natural History bringing together researchers from several universities and associations in the country.
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