A large meteor illuminated the sky for a brief moment in the southern part of the Scandinavian Peninsula before falling near Oslo, the capital of Norway.
A loud noise was clearly heard over a wide area.
Steinar Midtskogen, a spokesperson for the Norwegian meteor network, stated: “The meteor lit up the sky briefly, just after 1 AM. The loud noise could be heard over a wide area, approximately 100 km from the meteor’s landing site.”
“Some people near the meteor’s path felt shockwaves,” Midtskogen said.
There were strong gusts of wind in the area, causing doors and windows to burst open. However, no damage reports have been made.
According to Midtskogen, meteor sightings in Norway are not rare, and the observation network has installed several cameras to continuously monitor the sky.
Preliminary analysis from the camera footage indicates that the meteor fell near Lier, about 15 miles west of the Norwegian capital.
The Norwegian sky illuminated at night.
According to Midtskogen, the Norwegian Seismic Array (NORSAR) confirmed the area and “recorded the meteor’s impact on the ground as a seismic event.” They are now conducting searches for the meteor on the surface.
“We are not yet sure about the size of the meteor. It could be a rock weighing several hundred kilograms, but we only hope to find a small fragment of it when it reaches the ground,” Midtskogen said.
It is estimated that the meteor entered the atmosphere at a speed of 15 km/s and broke apart, creating bright streaks in the sky at an altitude of about 25-35 km above the ground.
Researchers’ analysis indicates that the meteor is atypical, as its orbit appears to be confined to the inner part of the solar system and does not originate from the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.
Midtskogen remarked: “This issue will make the recovery of meteors very valuable for science.” The Norwegian meteor network is analyzing the video footage and data to try to determine the origin and trajectory of the meteor.
