meteor fireball West Midland police
The video clip was taken from a traffic car while it was travelling towards Junction 4 of the M42 at Shirley just after 3am. Youtube/West Midlands Police

A spectacular meteor has been filmed blazing across the sky by traffic police in the West Midlands.

The footage was filmed at around 3 am on Monday morning.

Officers on the M42 spotted the fireball in the sky and filmed it with their on-board camera.

Astronomer Will Gater, who also the "bolide" meteor, tweeted: "Spectacular bolide meteor at 03:04BST. Lit up the ground with flickering green light. 10 or so bright fragments. Anyone else see it?"

There is no specific definition of a bolide meteor; astronomists consider it the same as a fireball.

The meteor was seen in the West Country, Wales and the West Midlands at 03:04 BST, the BBC said.

It is believed to have broken into pieces as soon as it entered the atmosphere.

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