http://www.shropshirestar.com/show_article.php?aID=28540
Experts join debate on mystery light Shropshire Star (United Kingdom) January 21, 2005 Astronomical experts have joined forces with puzzled Shropshire residents in a bid to identify the mysterious beam of light spotted in the county's skies. People across the county stopped in their tracks as a massive beam of light lit up the early morning gloom on Tuesday. But no-one could explain what caused the eerie light which disappeared three seconds later. Now county residents and top boffins have drawn up a list of possible explanations for the phenomenon, including an iridium flare, a burning meteor, a bright search light, aircraft landing lights or even a UFO. Sue Oliver, 37, of Briarwood, Brookside, Telford, saw the beam of light at 6.40am while walking her dog at nearby Nedge Hill. She said though she does not usually believe in "weird happenings", after seeing the light she thought it could have been a UFO. Montgomeryshire MP Lembit Opik, who has campaigned to raise awareness of the risk of a meteorite or comet hitting the earth, claimed the light was most likely to be an iridium flare, which can illuminate hundreds of square miles and would look like a bright light. But Kev Wildgoose, from the Shropshire Astronomical Society, disagreed and said with 40 years of experience he did not believe it was an astronomical sighting. "I'd be more inclined to identify it as an aircraft, perhaps a bright search light," he said. People in Lancashire also reported sighting something strange in the sky on Tuesday. ______________________________________________ Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
