Sonic Boom Heard In South West England Thought To Be Caused By Meteor

A mysterious sonic boom heard across south west England yesterday (Saturday 20 March) is thought to have been caused by a meteor. Listen here:

People in the likes of Devon, Dorset, Cornwall and Somerset reported hearing the noise, with some claiming it caused their windows to shake.

Often such sounds are caused by military aircraft, but a Ministry of Defence spokeswoman told The Mirror that the bang was not believed to be linked to any RAF activity.

General bafflement followed on social media, as you can see here:

Thankfully, the mystery appears to have been solved.

Astronomer and science journalist Will Gater has been compiling evidence on Twitter, and all the signs point to a bolide, which is an extremely bright meteor - bright because it's a fireball.

Dashcam footage captured a meteor passing over Jersey around the time of the bang, and it was also identified in weather satellite imagery.

The UK Fireball Alliance (yes, that exists) said the meteor is likely to be on the ground somewhere in Devon, Dorset or Somerset, describing its probable appearance as 'glossy black with thumbprint-sized depressions. NOT like tarmac or furnace slag. Not white, not blue, it's black'.

So, what are you waiting for? LET THE ALMOST-EASTER FIREBALL HUNT BEGIN (*trumpet fanfare*).

Topics: UK News, Interesting, Weird

Jake Massey

Jake Massey is a journalist at LADbible. He graduated from Newcastle University, where he learnt a bit about media and a lot about living without heating. After spending a few years in Australia and New Zealand, Jake secured a role at an obscure radio station in Norwich, inadvertently becoming a real-life Alan Partridge in the process. From there, Jake became a reporter at the Eastern Daily Press. Jake enjoys playing football, listening to music and writing about himself in the third person.

@jakesmassey