Amazing moment a meteorite almost hits Norweigan skydiver

Anders Helstrup would have been 'cut in half' by the space rock

Footage shows the meteorite falling out of the sky just metres from Anders (NRK)

Freefalling through the sky thousands of metres above the ground, Anders Helstrup is mere seconds from death.

On 17 June 2012, the experienced parachutist and wingsuit flyer launched himself from a plane 3,700 metres above Rena, in eastern Norway.

But as he filmed the descent on two cameras attached to his helmet, he captured a fleeting glimpse of something otherworldly - and deadly.

Cutting through the atmosphere at a rate of knots is a huge rock - a meteorite flung from outer space.

Geologist Hans Erik Foss Amundsen confirmed that the hurtling mass was indeed space debris, which had probably originated in one of the asteroid belts between Mars and Jupiter.

If Anders had jumped just a fraction of a second later he would have been dead.

Instead he has been dubbed "Anders the Lucky" and now the hunt is one to find the meteorite - the first documented sighting of a space rock captured during its "dark-flight".

There have been previous sightings of fireballs heading for the planet, but this is the first example of a burnt-out meteorite.

But perhaps Anders would be quite happy to keep this particular encounter firmly in the past.

Video courtesy of NRK