Steve Hornsby of Bournemouth stepped outside after a hailstorm and found blue balls in his yard. They 1-inch pieces of jelly-ish substance were a mystery to the former aircraft engineer. He hypothesized that they might be some sort of atmospheric pollution that solidified and came down with the precipitation.

Many of the jellied pieces had come apart on impact, but those that landed in taller grass were in batter shape. Theories abounded on the Internet about what it might be, including the usual extraterrestrial-themed guesses.

The substances do not melt in water, do not smell, and are not sticky.