[imagesource:x]

Imagine reporting on a hole, initially thought to be the aftermath of an asteroid, but it turns out to be the handiwork of a green plastic spade and some okes having a beach day.

“It’s a huge, mysterious crater that looks out of this world,” a Virgin Media News report announced one morning in September last year, showing a video of a hole on Portmarnock beach in Dublin.

In the video, the reporter described the crater as “mysterious,” with onlookers hoping it might be a once-in-a-lifetime cosmic event. The news segment also included an interview with a local astrophysics enthusiast named Dave Kennedy, who appeared convinced that the rock found inside the crater was an asteroid from space.

At the time, the astrophysics enthusiast was not sure what the rock’s composition was, but he was keen to find out. Kennedy explained:

“Only about a month ago I was watching a documentary from NASA on exactly what you’re looking at behind you, so when I looked at it and saw how uniform it is, I knew immediately that what I was looking at is an impact site.”

The news agency featured a portion of his interview on X, which stated how a mysterious hole on a beach has caused a commotion in North Dublin, which “could be the aftermath of a cosmic event.”

#WATCH A mysterious hole on a beach has caused a stir in North Dublin.

A local astronomy enthusiast is hoping the crater in Portmarnock, could be the aftermath of a cosmic event.

@Hanelizaa reports ⤵️#VMNews pic.twitter.com/cGJiyd3eZj

— Virgin Media News (@VirginMediaNews) September 13, 2023

Shame, the astrophysics enthusiast even claimed to see a scorch mark on the side.

Only, another video emerged shortly afterwards showing three men using plastic shovels to dig the incredible crater:

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by JOE.ie (@joe.ie)

At least the initial news outlets rushed to correct the embarrassing and hilarious mistake:

🚨 Meteorite mystery solved! 🚨

The mystery of the hole on a north Dublin beach has apparently been solved – denting the hopes of a local space enthusiast, who had hoped it was the site of a meteor strike.#VMNews pic.twitter.com/zhqKbhzvNY

— Virgin Media News (@VirginMediaNews) September 14, 2023

Most amusingly, although Dave was reportedly “disappointed” by the development, he still planned to get the rock examined in the hopes it wasn’t a “completely fruitless discovery.”

For Dave’s sake, it better be a space rock. Blimey.

[source:bbc]