Extra-bright bolide meteor seen over Estonia, Latvia
People in Estonia and Latvia whose eyes were on the skies Wednesday evening were treated to the rare but brilliant sight of a bolide meteor.
Tõnis Eenmä, astronomer at the University of Tartu's Observatory, said the phenomenon is a once-in-a-lifetime spot for many people.
"This is a very bright meteor, also known as a bolide. It was so bright that it lit the trees up white," Eenmäe commented. The event happened around 7 p.m.
Four people have so far recorded seeing the event with the International Meteor Organization (IMO)'s website, across the two countries. One observer was in Harju County in the north, another in Tartu County and another further south still, near Limbaži, in Latvia.
Observers described the meteor tail as visible for between three and seven seconds, though opinions differed on its brightness. The consensus was it was certainly brighter than any celestial body visible at the time, be it a star, planet or the moon – currently in a waning crescent phase. Comparable with the light from a full moon was mentioned as an estimate of the illumination emitted by the bolide burning up in the atmosphere Wednesday.
Sadly at the Tõravere Observatory, however, an all-round camera which takes snaps every two minutes was not in sync with the meteor's arrival. "It failed exactly when the camera had about a 20-second pause," Eenmä chuckled.
Eenmäe has observed and counted meteors during the most spectacular meteor showers, such as the Perseids, and has sent his results to the IMO's online environment too, but even he had never seen an example as bright as Wednesday night's, he noted.
While how rare such a bolide is is hard to gauge, it is certainly far from an everyday occurrence.
"Over the course of a day, more than one such event is likely seen somewhere on Earth, but most people never see anything like this because they tend not to be looking at the sky at night," he explained.
A vid clip of the meteor is below.
Those hoping to catch a bolide or other notable incident in the skies should keep their eyes peeled at all times during clear nights, he added.
"Related to this, in August, around the 12th, it is the time of the Perseids meteor shower. Then it is certainly worth watching for shooting stars," he recommended.
While we have a few months to wait until then, the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) is expected to be visible at times this year, due to a high level of the solar activity which causes it.
More information on what celestial phenomena to expect this year is here.
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Editor: Andrew Whyte, Jaan-Juhan Oidermaa
