Huge Fireball Lights Up European Skies As Meteorite Slams Into A German Roof

A bright meteoric fireball streaked across the European sky this week, providing a rare and dramatic six-second-long display for onlookers with their phones and cameras. According to the European Space Agency (ESA), however, at least one German home was struck by smaller pieces of the meteorite.

According to the ESA and the European AllSky7 fireball network, the initial flash occurred at approximately 18:55 CET, as a small natural space rock, estimated to be a few meters in diameter, entered Earth's atmosphere at speed. Moving from the southwest toward the northeast, the object remained visible for an unusually long duration of six seconds. In this window, the brilliant bolide illuminated the twilight for observers in Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands. As the object reached lower, denser layers of the atmosphere, the intense pressure caused it to fracture, leaving a glowing trail and producing audible sonic booms reported ...