I’m hoping someone out there can answer a lifelong question that’s bugged me for years. I’m 60 now and always wondered what me and my friend saw back in the 70s in Windsor, UK. We were going early morning fishing at about 2:30 in the morning, it was a very clear sky, you could see all the stars, it was beautiful! As I turned to speak to my friend, behind him was a burning ball of fire running parallel with the ground. I shouted to him: “Look!” He turned around. We watched it go across the sky and then just go out. It was low enough to hear it burning. It looked like a big bale of hay on fire. The only thing I can think of is a meteor, but the trouble I have with that is the angle… and would you really hear it burning? I’m truly honoured that I saw something that was probably a trillion to one that night, but all these years it’s bugged me: what could it have been? Can anyone help?
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$\begingroup$ The only astronomical related thing it could be is a bolide. Could it have been the 1978 meteor mentioned in this story, which many people actually heard? earthsky.org/space/whoosh-can-you-hear-meteors-streak-past $\endgroup$– Greg MillerCommented Jan 8 at 1:32
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1$\begingroup$ @GregMiller: OP was in Windsor, UK, while the event you mention occurred over Australia, half a world away. Meteors are “local” phenomena. OP’s event might be related, but it definitely is NOT the same event. $\endgroup$– Pierre PaquetteCommented Jan 8 at 1:55
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From the description you provided, it sounds like you may have witnessed a bolide, which is a very rare type of bright meteor. In fact, only a handful of them are detected each year.
Essentially, they're moving too quickly and are too massive to break apart in the upper atmosphere like most normal meteor or "shooting stars" we see, so they explode instead. This happens much lower in the atmosphere as well, creating an extremely bright explosion, which yes, is indeed occasionally audible.
Assuming that is what you saw, congratulations, because you are one of few who have ever seen one!
