Embleton Sky — Online Webcam for Meteor Watching

Embleton — a vantage point for observing Britain's night sky

The sky over Northumberland has always attracted amateur astronomers. This area in the northeast of England is known for having some of the darkest skies in the country — which is why a meteor camera was installed here, continuously scanning the heavens for falling stars. The live webcam allows everyone to connect with space observations from the comfort of home.

Embleton is a small village in Northumberland county, located near the North Sea coast. Its distance from major cities makes it an ideal spot for astronomical observations. There's no dense development here, and artificial lighting is minimal — exactly what's needed to capture even the faintest meteors.

How the meteor camera appeared in Embleton

The camera was installed as part of the Global Meteor Network (GMN) project — a worldwide network of meteor cameras run by astronomy enthusiasts and citizen scientists. It's a decentralized system where every participant contributes to the study of meteor showers.

The installation belongs to the Northumberland Astro group and is officially called "Chris Smith, Northumberland Meteor & Night Sky Cam Live". The camera runs on a Raspberry Pi with open-source software for video capture, compression, and automatic meteor detection. This is a typical solution for GMN participants — affordable, reliable, and easily reproducible.

Why Embleton was chosen for the meteor camera

The choice of location was deliberate. Embleton was selected for the camera installation due to its open horizon and relatively low light pollution levels, as well as its favorable position for night sky observation. The camera faces southeast and has a wide-angle view covering a large area of the sky.

Northumberland is England's largest dark sky reserve (Northumberland International Dark Sky Park), certified by the International Dark-Sky Association. This means strict restrictions on artificial lighting are in place here, creating exceptional conditions for astronomical observations. Light pollution in the Embleton area is significantly lower than the UK average.

How the Embleton meteor camera helps study space

The camera is not just a broadcast for stargazing enthusiasts. It's a full-fledged scientific instrument. As part of the global GMN network, data from multiple stations allow researchers to calculate meteor orbits and trajectories, track meteor shower surges, and catch rare events.

When the same meteor is captured by cameras from different locations in Europe, scientists can use triangulation to reconstruct its precise trajectory through the atmosphere and calculate its orbit in the Solar System. This helps determine which meteor shower the body came from, or identify a new, previously unknown shower.

Research conducted with the involvement of the GMN network has shown that global coordination of observations enables the detection of rare meteor showers that would be missed through isolated observations.

What the camera captures: from ordinary meteors to fireballs

The camera's primary task is detecting meteors. Most are tiny particles the size of a grain of sand that burn up in the upper atmosphere at altitudes of 80–120 km. But sometimes the camera captures fireballs — bright meteors that outshine Venus.

The Northumberland Astro YouTube channel features a dedicated "Fireballs" playlist showcasing the brightest events captured by the camera. These recordings are not only visually captivating but also scientifically valuable — the brightness and trajectory of a fireball can reveal the size and composition of the object that entered the atmosphere.

The Winchcombe meteorite — a historic discovery by Britain's network

One of the most famous events in the history of meteor observations in the UK occurred on 28 February 2021, when the country's camera network captured a rare meteorite — a carbonaceous chondrite producing a glowing green fireball. It was the first meteorite found in the UK in 30 years.

The Winchcombe meteorite proved to be unique: it belongs to the CM2 class of carbonaceous chondrites, containing organic compounds and water. Its composition is virtually identical to material from the early Solar System, 4.6 billion years old. Thanks to data from multiple network cameras, scientists were able to accurately calculate the fall trajectory and promptly collect fragments on the ground in Gloucestershire.

While the primary credit for capturing this event belongs to several network cameras, the contribution of each station — including the Embleton camera — was important for triangulating the trajectory.

Technical features of the broadcast

The Embleton camera operates in automatic mode. It begins recording at dusk and stops at dawn. The software analyzes the video stream in real time and saves a fragment when it detects a moving object with meteor characteristics.

The broadcast is available via YouTube, ensuring stable access for viewers worldwide. The online camera requires no special equipment or registration — simply open the stream and watch what's happening.

When is the best time to watch the broadcast

The probability of seeing a meteor is unevenly distributed throughout the year. There are periods of active meteor showers when the number of falling stars increases tenfold. The main showers include:

Quadrantids (peak January 3–4) — up to 120 meteors per hour. Perseids (peak August 12–13) — up to 100 meteors per hour, the most famous shower. Geminids (peak December 13–14) — up to 150 meteors per hour, one of the richest showers. Orionids (peak October 21) — up to 20 meteors per hour, associated with Halley's Comet.

However, even outside active shower periods, sporadic meteors can be seen — random particles not associated with any particular shower. On average, the camera captures several dozen meteors of varying brightness per night.

What you can see on the camera

On the Embleton webcam broadcast, viewers see a night sky studded with stars. In the lower part of the frame, a dark silhouette of a forest on the horizon creates a sense of presence. The camera is aimed upward, covering a vast area of the sky.

When a meteor crosses the frame, it leaves a bright diagonal trail with a tail — a glowing streak that fades in a fraction of a second. Fireballs are especially impressive — they can illuminate a significant portion of the sky and leave behind a persistent train. During active meteor shower periods, viewers can observe several falling stars per minute.

This live webcam opens up access to astronomical observations for everyone — from experienced enthusiasts to those who simply want to see a falling star with their own eyes.