Meteor explosion over Bristol caught on camera by astronomer

'You’ve got to be lucky to see something like this. It's a once-in-a-lifetime moment'

Thursday 22 November 2018 16:47 GMT
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Meteor explodes over astronomer's home near Bristol

An astronomer has captured the moment a meteor exploded over Bristol after entering the earth’s atmosphere.

Retired scientist Derek Robson had his camera set up to film the night sky when it occurred at 5am on 10 November.

The footage shows the fireball rapidly hurtling across the horizon, before exploding in a flash of white.

“I was asleep when it all happened,” said Mr Robson, 58, ”I keep a camera running in my back garden which is triggered by motion sensors.

“This shower occurs every year but it is hard to capture. These fragments can either be the size of a pebble or quite large. You’ve got to be lucky to see something like this. It’s a once in a lifetime moment.”

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“Its amazing to think they could have been orbiting the sun for millions of years. The camera I use is outside my home all year round – I have it running from dusk till dawn.”

“It was mine and my late father’s favourite constellation,” he added, ”So I feel like it was my father who was throwing the meteor my way.”

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