Possible meteor over Irvine

Date: 15/01/25

Time: 22:05

Location: Irvine

Written Account: ‘I saw a UFO flying in the sky at an incredible speed and it disappeared into the clouds in seconds.’

Object(s) details: A brilliant white colour much brighter than the moon but also much smaller than the moon. The object was travelling at incredible speed from East to West at what is estimated as 10,000 feet in altitude. It was viewed for approximately 3 seconds before disappearing into the clouds.

Weather: Dry, Cold and partly cloudy evening.

Confirmed with wwo historic database-

Temperature 5°c , 0.0mm Rain, Winds of 10km/h, 10% cloud coverage.

Astronomical: There is an array of Astronomical events scheduled for January 2025 including meteor showers, comets and planetary alignments.

The Quadrantid Meteor Shower was scheduled to peak on 4th January 2025. The total period of this shower was from 26th December 2024-12 January 2025.

Comet C/2024 G3 (Atlas) closest approach to Earth on 13th January.

Conjunction of the Moon and Mars scheduled for 14th January.

y-Ursae Minorid, the second meteor shower scheduled for January 2025.

The moon on the sighting date was Waning Gibbous (the illuminated surfaces of the moon is 97% and getting smaller).

Conclusion

Meteors are space rocks that enter Earths atmosphere and burn up, giving off a flash of light that some refer to as a shooting star. Meteors travel at speeds ranging from 25,000 to 160,000 miles per hour. Most meteors are faint and last less than a second, but some, known as "fireballs," can light up the sky and persist for several seconds

The second meteor shower of January 2025, the y-Ursae Minorid, occurred from 15th to 25th January, reaching its peak activity around the 19th.

I believe the object sighted on 15th January 2025 was a Meteor from the y-Ursae Minorid event.

James Bowen

B.U.F.O.R.A AI