Astronomy Ireland is waiting to hear if any parts of a space rock survived its flaming entry into the earth’s atmosphere over Ireland last night and have been found.
Numerous sightings of a fireball blazing across the sky were reported across the country yesterday evening.
David Moore from Astronomy Ireland said a space rock had collided with the earth’s atmosphere at about 6pm, showering debris over many parts of the country.
“A major explosion happened in the sky over Ireland. We think it’s a fireball, that’s a rock from space the earth has slammed into, and they burn up as huge shooting stars. This one appears to have lit up the whole country.”
He said the rock could have been the size of a car and that “this asteroid may have made its way to the ground, and potentially may have landed on Irish soil.”
“This is a huge event," Mr Moore said. "Those who saw it were facing inland at the time which indicated it landed on ground and not at sea.”
He said hundreds of people had already contacted Astronomy Ireland to report what they had seen and he encouraged those who had seen it to report it on the group’s website.
“From this, experts form the organisation can triangulate exactly where the fireball fell and then the hunt for this exquisite piece of outer space can commence,” Mr Moore said.
Valentia Coastguard said it received several calls about the sightings ranging from Co Kerry, to the midlands and Northern Ireland.
The last time a meteorite hit Ireland was in 1999 and parts of the rock were retrieved in Co Carlow.
It sold for $500 dollars per gram, and Astronomy Ireland is urging anyone with sightings to record it on its website.