April showers – fireball drops meteorites near Bury St Edmunds
A spectacular fireball seen over the UK in the early hours of Wednesday 23rd April 2025 likely dropped meteorites to the west of Bury St Edmunds, according to scientists from the UK Fireball Alliance (UKFAll).
UKFAll are now asking members of the public in the area to be on the lookout for any rocks that appear unusual or out-of-place.
Mark McIntyre from UKFAll said “Meteorites are rocks that naturally arrive on Earth from space and can be studied to understand how planets and the Solar System formed. We have a network of cameras across the UK designed to spot their arrival as fireballs in the sky.”
“On this occasion it was a cloudy night, but after looking back through our data, we estimate that up to 250 g of meteorites landed near Bury St Edmunds. If you’re in the local area and have found any dark looking rocks, we want to hear from you!”
Fireball recorded over south-east England at 01:38 (UTC) on Wednesday 23rd April by the UK Meteor Network.
Dr Ashley King from UKFAll added “The meteorites fell several weeks ago and are safe to handle, although, if possible, please try not to pick them up with bare hands as that will contaminate the rocks. The largest piece is probably about the size of an orange, but there may also be smaller fragments. They might be glossy black or brown in colour, or have a glassy outer surface.”
“Keep an eye out for rocks in unusual places, such as on a lawn or footpath. However, we don’t want anyone taking risks looking for it or going into areas where you shouldn’t. But if you do find something out-of-place, we’ll definitely be interested to check it out.”
For more details on recovering meteorites visit www.ukfall.org.uk/report-a-meteorite/. Please make sure that you get permission from land and property owners before visiting any land.
If you think you’ve found a piece of the meteorite fall then please send details, the coordinates and a photo to us by emailing meteorite@ukfall.org.uk. Please don’t put a magnet near it or touch it with your bare hands — instead pick it up in some aluminium foil or a clean and dry sandwich bag.
Meteorite fall zone to the west of Bury St Edmunds – if you live in this area, please be on the lookout for dark, shiny rocks that stand out.
The UK Fireball Alliance 