Advertisement

Meteor causes scare in southern Germany

DPA/The Local
DPA/The Local - [email protected]
Meteor causes scare in southern Germany
File photo of meteor in sky. Shutterstock"

When the evening sky suddenly lit up on Sunday evening, many south Germans were frightened, with some even calling the emergency services.

Advertisement

It happened at about quarter to nine on Sunday evening. But if you'd have blinked you would have just about missed it.

For about six seconds a bright light lit up the sky above southern Germany, tearing through the darkness.

In Bavaria, Baden Württemburg and Saarland, hundreds of confused and scared residents called the police to report the strange event. Some even reported hearing a loud bang.

Worried Saarlanders feared that an aeroplane had plummeted from the sky.

Luckily, the cause was natural and, according to initial reports, harmless.

Jonas Schenker of the Specialist Group for Meteorology confirmed that is was a meteor.

The loud bang confirms that the meteor reached the lower parts of the atmosphere.

Normally, meteors disintegrate completely somewhere between 70 and 100 kilometres above ground level. To have caused such a sound, this one must have come within 20 kilometres of the earth's surface, said Schenker.

The police have said that they had received no reports of damages to property.

 

More

Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.

Please log in to leave a comment.

See Also