A Cornish astronomer says that a mystery sonic boom heard in Bude last week could have been caused by a meteor.

Residents in Bude reported a very loud bang at around midday on Thursday, according to the BBC. Some said the sound shook their houses, and one resident claimed a crack in her kitchen had widened by the explosive sound.

The RAF operates an airbase at St. Mawgan, not far from Bude. Initially, police suspected a military aircraft had gone sonic too close to the mainland.

However, David Carcary from the West Cornwall Astronomical Society, says the sound could have been a meteor that burned up in the atmosphere before it reached the ground.

He told the BBC: "As soon as I heard the news of the bang, that was the most obvious explanation to me. There wasn't any seismic evidence so it burnt out before it hit the ground - luckily for the people of Bude.

"I'm fairly convinced it was a meteor but the only way to prove it would be to have an audio recording of the boom," he concluded. ®