Video images of meteor being sought

VIDEO IMAGES of a meteor which may have fallen to earth somewhere over the north of the State are being sought by Astronomy Ireland.

Shortly before 6pm on Wednesday reports started coming into Garda stations, the Coast Guard, the Irish Aviation Authority and media outlets, detailing bright lights which people claimed to have seen travelling mainly at low altitudes across the sky.

The activity described variously as a flare or a bright green or white light was reported almost simultaneously in Bantry, Co Cork and Ballybunnion Co Kerry. At about 6pm Valentia Coast Guard said it had a number of sightings from people across the region.

It was also spotted in Co Clare by communications officer with the Irish Aviation Authority, Lillian Cassin who was driving close to Dromoland at the time. “I saw what looked like a flare or a single firework, it was green and it lasted only about six or seven seconds” she said.

Ms Cassin said she thought the trajectory was quite low and did not understand how the same object could have been seen still travelling by people in the north of the country. Ms Cassin added there had been no sightings by aircraft reported to the authority.

Further reports of sightings were made in Co Kilkenny and in Mullingar Mary O’Neill said she saw what she first thought was a shooting star, and then a satellite, travelling very fast in a northerly direction.

Near Ballyconnell in Co Cavan a care worker Helen Boyle of Killawilly was out walking with her dog when she saw a light she thought was close by. In the same area Barry Murphy said he first thought it was a plane. He described it as a white light, quite small, low in the sky and close by. By its trajectory he said he thought it would land in surrounding fields but an investigation had yielded no results.

Astronomy Ireland’s David Moore asked that owners of closed circuit television systems would examine their footage for about two minutes before 6pm on Wednesday.

Meteors can be quite valuable when sold on the open market as curiosities and even small meteors have fetched prices of almost €30,000.