UKFAll - The UK Fireball Alliance

The UK Fireball Alliance aims to recover freshly-fallen meteorites in the UK.  Led by staff of the Natural History Museum, UKFAll is a collaboration between the UK’s meteor camera networks.

The Science

• About 65,000 meteorites have been found world-wide

• Only about 40 of these 65,000 were photographed as they arrived as a fireball, including of course the Winchcombe meteorite

• Meteor camera networks photograph incoming meteors from multiple locations

• That allows the meteor’s path through the atmosphere to be calculated accurately

• From this, the meteorite’s likely landing point can be estimated

• This helps us find it before it gets rained on or very contaminated

• The object’s orbit before hitting the Earth can also be calculated.

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• So, we have a freshly-recovered object and we know where in the solar system it came from; a really powerful combination that helps us understand the solar system.

• Also, the meteorite’s hardness, strength, density and composition can be compared with its path through the atmosphere to learn more about the physics of meteorite and comet impacts. 

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Image - The Winchcombe Meteorite, recovered in March 2021 after an appeal by UKFAll. Credit - the Trustees of the Natural History Museum

The People

UK-based members of the UKFall team include the coordinators of each of the UK fireball camera networks, plus academic staff of UK institutions involved in space science, geology or in the study and curation of meteorites.

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Overseas members include the coordinators of some of the international fireball networks and specialists in trajectory, orbit and strewn field calculations.

UKFall's current postholders are - Jim Rowe, Organiser, and Dr Luke Daly, Treasurer.  UKFall is affiliated to the Geologists' Association.

The Camera Networks

The participating UK meteor camera networks are:

• UK Meteor Observation Network  www.ukmeteornetwork.co.uk 

• SCAMP, the UK component of the French FRIPON network www.fripon.org 

• UK Fireball Network, part of the Global Fireball Observatory https://gfo.rocks/

• The NEMETODE Network www.nemetode.org

• The Global Meteor Network  www.globalmeteornetwork.org 

• The AllSky7 Network www.allsky7.net

Get your own camera and join us!  All welcome.

If you're an individual based in the UK and want to be part of a meteor and fireball camera network then click on the links below.  The starting point is the networks - UKMON and NEMETODE:

• UK Meteor Observation Network  www.ukmeteornetwork.co.uk 

• The NEMETODE Network www.nemetode.org

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Once you're in touch with one or both networks, then chose your camera type.  The links below are included just to show you the camera technologies:

• The Global Meteor Network  www.globalmeteornetwork.org 

• The AllSky7 Network www.allsky7.net

Report a fireball

Have you seen a really bright meteor?  Or heard a sonic boom that isn't related to aircraft movement?  If so, please click the button below to report it.  If a meteorite fell, your report may help us find it.

The Daylight Fireball of 20th March - Press Release

Here's our summary of what we think happened after the daylight fireball of Saturday 20th March.  It was seen from Jersey and heard as a sonic boom from Dorset, and may possibly have dropped a meteorite in southern England.  Press release dated Tuesday 30th March 2021.

Winchcombe FAQ

Here are some answers to frequently-asked questions on the Winchcombe meteorite which fell on 28th February 2021 in Gloucestershire.

Sign up to be notified

Sign up here to be notified when we think there's a meteorite to find or if we have significant news. Your contact details will only be used for this purpose.

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Or send us a message

To report a meteor or a sonic boom, please use the "Report a fireball" link above.  Otherwise, please get in touch!