A large meteor illuminated the sky briefly in southern Scandinavia before falling near Oslo, the capital of Norway.
A loud noise was heard across a wide area.
Steinar Midtskogen, spokesperson for the Norwegian meteor network, stated: “The meteor lit up the sky for a brief moment around 1 AM. A loud noise was heard clearly from a wide area, about 100 km from the meteor’s landing site.”
“Some people near the meteor’s path felt shockwaves,” said Midtskogen.
Strong gusts of wind were present in the area, causing doors and shutters to be blown open. However, no damage has been reported.
According to Midtskogen, meteors are not rare in Norway, 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, approximately 15 miles west of the Norwegian capital.
The sky in Norway illuminated at night.
According to Midtskogen, the Norwegian Seismic Array (NORSAR) has confirmed the area and “recorded the meteor’s impact on the ground as a seismic event.” They are now conducting a search for the meteor on the ground.
“We are not yet certain about the size of the meteor. It could be a rock weighing several hundred kilograms, but we hope to find only a small fragment of it upon impact,” Midtskogen remarked.
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 25-35 km above ground.
Research analysis shows that the meteor is atypical, with its trajectory appearing to be confined to the innermost part of the solar system, and it does not originate from the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.
Midtskogen stated: “This issue will make the recovery of meteors very valuable for science.” The Norwegian meteor network is currently analyzing the video footage and data to attempt to determine the meteor’s origin and destination.