Meteor crashes into Earth with search to find rock which may be worth 500K

A flaming meteor has crashed to earth sparking a huge search to find its rock which could be worth £500,000.

The "unusually large meteor" lit up the skies in southern Norway creating a spectacular sound and light display as it rumbled across the sky.

Experts in the country's capital Oslo say a piece of the meteor may have hit Earth not far from the city.

There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage following the early morning phenomena.

Reports of sightings started arriving around 1am and the meteor was seen as far north as Trondheim.

A web camera in Holmestrand, south of Oslo, captured a fireball falling from the sky and erupting into a bright flash lighting up a marina.

The meteor lights up the sky over Holmestrand, Norway (Image: via REUTERS)

The Norwegian Meteor network analysed video footage and other data on Sunday to pinpoint the meteor's origin and destination.

Preliminary data suggested a meteorite may have hit Earth in a large wooded area, called Finnemarka, just 60 km (40 miles) west of the capital, Oslo, the network said.

"This was crazy," Morten Bilet, who saw and heard the meteor, told Reuters.

By yesterday afternoon no debris had been found and could take "some 10 years" given the "demanding" location Bilet said.

The meteor travelled at 15-20 km per second and lit up the night sky for about five to six seconds, Bilet said.

Early data suggests the meteorite may have landed in a large wooded area (Image: via REUTERS)

The rock is believed to have weighed at least 10kg and was travelling at a speed between 10 and 12 miles an hour, according to the Norwegian Meteor Network (NMN).

The value of meteorites varies hugely and retail values in today’s marketplace go from $0.50 (36p) to for $1,000 (£725) per gram or more, according to geology.com. Sky News, meanwhile, reported it was believed to be worth £500 a gram.

Eyewitnesses said they felt a stronger wind blown with the meteor's arrival also caused a pressure wave, Bilet said.

"What we had last night was a large rock travelling likely from between Mars and Jupiter, which is our asteroid belt.

The meteor lights up the sky over Kristiansand, Norway (Image: via REUTERS)

"And when that whizzes in, it creates a rumble, light and great excitement among us (experts) and maybe some fear among others," Bilet said.

There were no reports of damage or people being particularly frightened, Bilet said, adding that for those nearest it was likely more of a "spooky" event.

A meteor that exploded over the central Russia near the city of Chelyabinsk in 2013 rained fireballs over a vast area and caused a shockwaves that injured 1,200 people, smashed windows, damaged buildings.

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