Clanfield man 'absolutely flabbergasted' to capture footage of 'beautiful' meteor flying through the sky

Graeme King, 51, was less than a mile from his house when he saw the metallic body of rock flying through the night sky.

The astronomical enthusiast saw it while travelling on Chalton Lane at 9.45pm two days ago.

He said he was ‘absolutely flabbergasted’ by the quality of the video.

Mr King told The News: ‘Everything was normal, but out of the corner of my eye, I saw the meteor go over the top.

‘It was quite a long trail which is unusual, normally it is just a quick burst, but this one seemed to go along for quite a while.

‘I’m just very happy to share it with people.’

Mr King has been a member of the Hampshire Astronomical Group for 12 years.

They undertake educational outreach programmes with universities and schools.

The 51-year-old caught the meteor, which was breaking up in the atmosphere, completely by chance.

He added: ‘With any meteor, it is extremely lucky to catch something like that.

‘This was a bolt from the blue.’

SEE ALSO: Cost of living crisis: Portsmouth fish and chip shops feel sting of 'ridiculous' prices as 'a third' are mooted to close in the UK

The astronomical group member said he was seconds away from missing the spectacle, as he was close to a street light and about to turn the car.

Among the many over sights he has seen, he described this one as unusual.

He added: ‘The combination of the night sky as it was, late twilight, and seeing it tracking the same way as the car was great.

‘Seeing it through the naked eye, it was quite a beautiful meteor.