Watch: Suspected meteor streaks across Birmingham sky, captured on home surveillance footage

Possible meteor streaks across Birmingham night sky

A suspected meteor was seen falling through the sky of Birmingham, England, in the early hours of Saturday, December 30. (Credit: @JohnStew82 via Storyful)

BIRMINGHAM, England - It's not definite yet, but a possible meteor streaked across Birmingham, England early Saturday morning.

Home surveillance footage, posted on social media, showed a bright flash of blue light streaking through the sky.

The streak happened a week after the Royal Museums Greenwich said the Ursid meteor shower peaked.

The Ursid meteor shower gets its name from the celestial objects Little Dipper – also known as the constellation Ursa Minor, according to NASA.

The Ursids are considered a "relatively new meteor shower," EarthSky.org added, having been first observed around the start of the 20th century, as an amateur astronomer noticed they seemed to emulate from the star Kochab.

Though they are relatively small in number, there have been a few occurrences where stargazers have seen unexpected outbursts. In 1945 and 1986, approximately 100 meteors per hour took place, while 1973 saw 30 meteors per hour.

For those who are worried they may not see the Ursid meteor shower, don't fret: it's happening in conjunction with the Geminid meteor shower.

How are meteors formed?

A meteor forms when a meteoroid, a type of space rock that breaks off from an asteroid﹘a rocky body orbiting the sun﹘enters Earth's atmosphere. As soon as the space debris crosses over, it breaks down into what scientists call a "meteor," which then vaporizes and﹘as a result of friction﹘appears as a bright streak of light in the sky.

FOX News contributed to this report. This story was reported from Los Angeles.

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