Lights go out on Angus man’s Hogmanay meteorite hopes

Glyn thought fragment was from fireball seen in the sky on December 31

An Angus man who thought he had stumbled upon a fragment of a meteorite which lit up the night sky on Hogmanay has had his hopes dashed.

Glyn Lewis, 46, was among hundreds who witnessed a spectacular display on New Year’s Eve as a huge, green fireball hurtled across the Tayside skies at around 5.30pm.

He was walking along the lighthouse road at Ferryden when he saw a flash on the skyline.

He later picked up a piece of rock which he believed might have come from the space invader, but experts have now poured cold water on his theory.

Glyn was so startled by the fireball he searched a field above his Ferryden home the day after the meteor sighting.

His initial foray proved fruitless. However, last weekend he came across a large fragment of rock in a stubble field which he believed could be part of the impressive meteorite which fell from the sky.

“I’ve lived in Ferryden for the past 12 years and have not seen anything like this,” he said. “It is a one-off.”

The keen amateur photographer sent two images of the find to the British Meteorite Society.

However, after analysing the images, scientists have now concluded the fragment was not part of a meteorite.

They found it has quartz crystals on one side and believe it is a piece of local rock.

Undeterred, Glyn has contacted the geoscience department at Edinburgh University in the hope experts there will be able to shed some more light on his curious discovery.

He said: “I sent the photographs to Edinburgh University and have arranged to meet one of their team from the geoscience department on January 26. They are not sure what it is.

“It could be local quartz but, either way, I would like to know.”

Picture: Kenny Elrick. Glyn Lewis was out walking near Montrose when he found the rock in a stubble field.