A software engineer has captured an extraordinary image of one of nature’s most spectacular phenomena as it lit up the sky above Nottingham on Tuesday night.
The incredible sight of a green streak shooting across the night sky was said to have been caused by a sporadic meteor, considered a “random” meteor that does not belong to a known meteor shower and can be observed on any clear night, as opposed to a shower meteor which is associated with the debris trail of a comet or asteroid.
Nicholas Shanks posted the once-in-a-lifetime shot from his X account, stating “I just saw my first ever sporadic meteor! At 19:11 UTC looking SE whilst crossing the Clifton Boulevard bridge in Nottingham, a bright green streak from about 40° above the horizon down to 20° above, lasting ~2s.” The news comes as the October Harvest Moon to brighten UK skies in days – how and when to see the supermoon.
Sporadic meteors appear randomly from all directions, though their rates can show seasonal variations and tend to be higher in the autumn and before dawn. They are a crucial baseline for studying showers, representing the dispersed remnants of ancient meteor streams or other sources of cosmic dust.
Social media users praise incredible timing
X users flooded Nicholas’ X post with comments praising him on the quality of the image and his quick-thinking ability to capture it in the moment.
CaptainQuack said, “Saw it too from West London. Congratulations on swift camera work. An excellent shot!”
Tea & Toast posted, “My husband saw it when he was driving home from work.”
Pierrepotts made the following comments while posting his own video, which is published above: “Saw it in Farnham.. grabbed some folks walking by to prove I wasn’t going crazy”
What makes sporadic meteors different from showers
Sporadic meteors occur randomly in the sky, without a concentrated “radiant” point like a meteor shower. They are not linked to the debris trail of a specific comet or asteroid, which defines a meteor shower.
While random, sporadic meteors show seasonal variations in their occurrence, with higher rates sometimes observed in the spring and autumn months. Their rates also vary throughout the night, typically being higher in the hours just before dawn.
They are thought to originate from the highly dispersed remnants of ancient meteor streams, unresolved minor showers, and material from toroidal and apex sources (the direction of Earth’s orbital motion).