Doorbell camera captures a meteor hurtling across the sky over Darlington after family's cat sets the device rolling Footage in Darlington shows a meteor falling through the sky on October 15 The doorbell camera was triggered by the family cat strolling by at the right time Burning fireball can be seen in the distance as dozens of sightings reported Stargazers will get out their binoculars tonight for the Orionid meteor shower By Stewart Carr For Mailonline Published: 14:33 BST, 20 October 2021 | Updated: 15:04 BST, 20 October 2021 Viewcomments Dramatic footage of a meteor falling through the sky was captured on a doorbell camera in Darlington after a family cat triggered a recording at just the right time. A bright fireball can be seen shooting across the sky in the footage as residents across the North East described seeing the meteor on the evening of Friday, October 15. Julie Richardson was stunned when husband Lee showed her the recording from their new doorbell camera. Stanley the cat (circled) triggered the doorbell camera which caught the amazing footage Mrs Richardson said: 'I didn't quite believe it, my husband Lee was the one that spotted it. 'I just thought it was a firework but that didn't make sense as the "firework" was going down not up. 'I put it on Facebook just to see what other people thought about it and then realised it was definitely a meteor.' Stanley happened to be moving close to the front door at just the right moment to set the camera rolling, Darlington Live reports. In the footage, Stanley can be seen between two vehicles at the bottom of the screen. He sits still as he watches the fireball tear across the night sky, before hurriedly turning around and fleeing in the opposite direction. The natural phenomenon was spotted throughout the UK, with a number of sightings off the Durham and Northumberland coastlines. When Julie took to social media to share the footage, other Darlington residents came forward to say that they had also spotted it. Julie Richardson, of Darlington, was stunned to find she had recording of the meteor The UK Meteor Network also shared pictures of a meteor spotted that same evening - with people from Lincolnshire to Sunderland saying they too spotted the green fireball in the night's sky. Stargazers are in for a treat tonight as shooting stars from the Orionid meteor shower blaze the night sky. Up to 20 space rocks are expected to shoot overhead per hour. Orionid meteors take place each autumn as the Earth passes through the stream of debris left by Halley's Comet. They will reach their peak tonight and tomorrow night. As the comet moves around the sun, it leaves tiny pieces of dust and icy debris behind, and as the Earth passes through this cloud of matter, they burn up in the atmosphere, generating fast, bright streaks of light known as meteors. Explained: The difference between an asteroid, meteorite and other space rocks An asteroid is a large chunk of rock left over from collisions or the early solar system. Most are located between Mars and Jupiter in the Main Belt. A comet is a rock covered in ice, methane and other compounds. Their orbits take them much further out of the solar system. A meteor is what astronomers call a flash of light in the atmosphere when debris burns up. This debris itself is known as a meteoroid. Most are so small they are vapourised in the atmosphere. If any of this meteoroid makes it to Earth, it is called a meteorite. Meteors, meteoroids and meteorites normally originate from asteroids and comets. For example, if Earth passes through the tail of a comet, much of the debris burns up in the atmosphere, forming a meteor shower. Advertisement Read more: Share or comment on this article: All rights reserved for this news site (dailymail) and under his responsibility