Large meteor lights up skies over Norway

A view of an unusually large meteor visible in Oslo, giving a powerful flash of light over Eastern Norway. Photo / Norwegian Meteor Network, via AP

Norwegian experts say an unusually large meteor was visible over large parts of southern Scandinavia and illuminated southeast Norway with a powerful flash of light for a few seconds as many observers were reported to also hear a roaring sound afterwards.

The Norwegian Meteor Network said that it had analysed and reviewed several videos of the event and said the meteor first appeared about 90km north of the capital, Oslo, and continued its trail in a southwest direction before fragmenting in several flashes of light.

An "unusually large meteor" briefly lit up southern Norway last night, creating a spectacular sound and light display as it rumbled across the sky | More: https://t.co/tUaBsuv3oa pic.twitter.com/NrgLNi5OQz

— RTÉ News (@rtenews) July 25, 2021

"The meteor appeared at 1.08am on the night of July 25 and was visible for approximately five seconds," said the network, which had posted a video of the phenomenon on its Twitter site.

Sightings of meteors, space rocks that burn brightly after entering the Earth's atmosphere at high speed, aren't uncommon over Norway and the Norwegian Meteor Network has a number of cameras continuously monitoring the sky.

Meteor in Oslo pic.twitter.com/HodXe9RfrF

— Mikael Berg (@mikaelberg2k) July 24, 2021

A meteor that survives passage to the ground is known as a meteorite. Preliminary data suggested a meteorite may have hit Earth in a large forested area, Finnemarka, not far from Oslo, the Norwegian Meteor Network said.

- AP