This is the moment a “fireball” shot across the sky above Shetland.
Video taken from Shetland Webcams at Dunrossness, near the southernmost end of the island, showed a bright object flashing across the sky just before 8.30am on Saturday.
People living in Orkney and Caithness also reported seeing the phenomenon.
Andy Steven, who runs Shetland Webcams – which live streams the skies from a number of dark sky locations across the islands – said: “We stream storms, the Northern Lights, shooting stars, satellites and from time to time stuff that has yet to be properly identified.
‘Fireball’ spotted in broad daylight above Shetland
“This morning, and in broad daylight, against a clear blue sky we captured a fireball as it entered and burned up in the atmosphere above the southern end of Shetland.”
Some residents said they had seen an object “like a sky rocket” while others reported hearing a bang.
Lesley Main said she heard the “fireball” in Uyeasound, on Unst, the small island north of Shetland.
She wrote: “Almost felt the house vibrate and went out to check nothing had blown off the roof or wall come down.
“(There was) a loud boom then what sounded like thunder.”
Several people on Orkney also reported sightings.
Kenneth Sinclair wrote: “Saw it to the north of Kirkwall airport but didn’t hear anything. It looked almost like a sky rocket going east to west.”
Ann Brent wrote: “Did anyone else just see the huge fireball streak across the sky at 8.25am over the top of Orkney? Way too quick to get a photo!”
Cheryl Rafferty wrote: “My daughter saw it just outside Kirkwall, Orkney this morning about 8.25am as we were driving.
“She thought it was a shooting star and I was busy telling her it’s unlikely she’d see a shooting star in broad daylight!”
Thurso resident Audrey Mulgrew reported hearing a “big bang”.
Wick resident Sasha MacNicol wrote: “Yes! Saw it over Lybster, looked huge and very low!”
Object may have been meteor
While a little early, the Royal Observatory in Greenwich’s schedule of meteor showers could point to the object being a meteor.
The Lyrid meteor shower starts on April 14.
The shower peaks around April 22 to 23, around the full moon.
The Lyrid meteor shower is associated with long-period Comet C/1861 G1 Thatcher.
It is the oldest recorded meteor shower that can still be seen today.
Sightings were first recorded in 687 BCE.
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