Yanis Darras 2:16 p.m., February 13, 2023

It is an exceptional phenomenon which could be observed in the night from Sunday to Monday.

A meteorite could be noticed around 4 am, in the north of France.

A phenomenon particularly awaited by astronomy fans, because this meteorite is one of the few to have been spotted before entering the atmosphere. 

And suddenly, the light in the middle of the night.

The French living in the north of the country, woken up in the night from Sunday to Monday, around 4 a.m., were able to see a shooting star, particularly bright, for a few seconds.

And for good reason, a small meteorite called Sar2667, entered the atmosphere, before being reduced to dust, due to heating with the air.

One meter wide, the latter was observable in the northern part of France, but also in Belgium or even in the south of England. 

"If you're around, take a good look at the sky to see a shooting star," the European space agency, ESA, said on Twitter.

Advice followed by Internet users, who did not fail to display their surprise and their happiness to see the meteor.

It "is much higher in the sky than I thought. And brighter too!", Note a user on Twitter. 

wow!

Live from Paris center.

A lot higher in the sky than I anticipated.

And a lot brighter as well.


Live from central Paris.

Much higher in the sky than I thought.

And brighter too!

#Sar2667#asteroid#asteroidpic.twitter.com/Tf9dRauFqJ

— CM Favre (@harlesc) February 13, 2023

Scarcity

The community of astronomy enthusiasts, in turmoil at the announcement of the event, posted dozens of videos on social networks.

Because this remarkable, but above all anticipated entry into the atmosphere is an extremely rare phenomenon.

"This is only the seventh time that an impact has been predicted before it occurs. A sign of rapid progress in global asteroid detection capabilities", welcomes the European space agency on Twitter.

But there is still a long way to go.

In 2015, NASA estimated that each year, nearly 84,000 meteors weighing more than 10 grams, fall on Earth.

That is 230 meteorites that come into contact with the atmosphere every day.