Asteroid lights up sky over Channel creating shooting star effect

Scientists predict asteroid strike for only seventh time as one-metre object enters Earth’s atmosphere

An asteroid lit up the sky over the Channel in the early hours of Monday after scientists accurately predicted its strike – only the seventh time that has happened.

The European Space Agency (ESA) said on Sunday night that the one-metre object would enter Earth’s atmosphere and strike the surface around the French city of Rouen. On Monday, the BBC reported that it was seen over the Channel, creating a stunning shooting star effect.