Sighting

Either a meteoric or light phenomenon that came close to the ground. Maybe two different incidents observed in London and other parts of England.

Transcription of the annual register for 1765, London : printed for J. Dodsley, 1766, p. 135:

October 8th.

About nine at night, an
extraordinary phaenomenon
was seen in different parts of England,
under very different appearances.
At London it appeared over
the city; at first, a light was observed
on the gravel and paved walks
of the Temple, bright enough to
pick up a pin; then a globe of
ruddy fire as large as the full
moon a little after rising, was
seen descending from a great altitude
over Temple-bar, and taking
its course obliquely towards the
Thames, as if it would have fallen
therein; but, having just reached
the water, it shot itself into a
sheet of fire with one edge turned
towards the river, in the form of
a boy's kite, with head, wings,
and tail, appearing half as long,
and in one part twice as broad, as
Fleet-street. It fell, or vanished,
on the Southwark side of the water,
in a yellow fire.

At Chichester, in Sussex, it appeared
about the size of a man's
head; its course was rather undulating
from north west to south east,
in the form of a curve. At about
south west a part separated from
the rest, about the size of a man's
hand, and kept the same course
with the main body, and at a small
distance from it, till it came nearly
due south, when it burst into several
parts like stars, and disappeared.
For about a quarter of a minute it
was nearly as light as when the
sun shines. The whole was immediately
followed by a rumbling
noise, much like that made by a
coach driving hastily over the
stones, which lasted about a minute.
The atmosphere was all the while
very clear.

At Portsmouth, it was observed
to come from the west, and was
thought to burst over the town.
The light was very pale; but the
explosion surpassed in noise the
loudest clap of thunder.

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