Astronomy experts call for star witnesses
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Astronomy experts were last night appealing for witnesses to an extremely rare fireball
Tuesday December 15 2009
Astronomy experts were last night appealing for witnesses to an extremely rare fireball believed to have blazed across the morning sky.
The spectacular sight, which star-gazers claim happened just before dawn, is being attributed to a massive meteor shower currently taking place over the northern hemisphere.
"The fireball is really very special and unusual," Astronomy Ireland chairman David Moore said.
"If you can imagine normal stars only one million times brighter, whizzing across the sky in just two or three seconds."
So far, Astronomy Ireland has received reports of the fireball from Dublin, Louth and Cork.
Mr Moore urged anyone else who saw it to come forward and help locate where remnants of the meteorite may have landed.
"There are very few meteorites in existence and every one we find tells us more about the solar system," he said.
"We don't know if it's going to be the size of something that can fit in a mug or something a truck would need to pick up -- probably not likely to be the latter."
The country is currently in the grip of the Geminids meteor shower, which is known to generate fireballs along with up to 150 shooting stars an hour.
"You can see them anywhere in the sky and you'll probably see several times more shooting stars than normal over the next few nights," Mr Moore said.
"There might even be one every minute."
