Donegal man baffled by strange object ‘falling’ from sky
Object appeared to be falling slowly, as Inishowen man captured photographs of the extraordinary sight
An Inishowen man has been left mystified after photographing a strange, glowing object in the sky over Lough Foyle which he insists was not a passing aircraft.
Fergal Owens captured images of the unusual orange-coloured anomaly from his home in Greencastle at around 7.15am on Sunday, October 18, describing the sight as something he had never witnessed before.
Sharing his photographs on social media, Fergal asked: “Can anyone tell me what is this falling from the sky??”
“Took them this morning at 7.15am. I took the photos myself from Greencastle over Lough Foyle. It was awesome. It was falling slowly. Never seen anything like this in my life.”
The photographs show a striking, jagged golden-orange trail against the morning sky, with several apparent bends and breaks along its length.
The unusual appearance prompted a lively discussion online, with suggestions ranging from an aircraft contrail to fireworks.
One social media user suggested it was a jet passing overhead, saying they had been watching it themselves. However, Fergal firmly rejected that explanation, replying: “No it wasn't. It was falling slowly.”
Another person wondered whether fireworks could account for the sight, while a further commenter suggested sending the photographs to an astronomy expert to see if they could shed light on the phenomenon.
Fergal subsequently reiterated that he had witnessed the sight himself, and “couldn't believe it”.
While the images have prompted considerable speculation, the precise nature of the phenomenon has not been established.
An illuminated aircraft contrail is one possible explanation for the glowing trail, particularly given its orange colour, which can occur when high-altitude trails catch the low morning sun. However, the photographs alone cannot conclusively establish what Fergal witnessed.