Watch: Inexperienced flash as meteor streaks via sky in Australia
R
esidents of northeastern Australia have been shocked to see the evening sky illuminated by a inexperienced flash as a meteor fell to Earth on Saturday.
People residing within the city of Croydon in rural Queensland reported listening to a booming noise that made some homes shake, and seeing a burst of sunshine streaking via the sky.
Jim Robertson, whose dashcam captured the “bright beaming light” shortly after 9.20pm native time, described the “fluke” incident to Australian news outlet 9News, saying: “There it was, it was a couple of seconds.
“We just thought, ‘What the hell is that? Are we being [invaded]? Was it a plane crash? Was it space junk?’
“This thing was so huge and the light was just so bright. There was a plane coming in at the same time, so those pilots would have had a great view.
“It was a fluke experience that we were lucky enough to get on the dashcam.”
Astrophysicist Dr Brad Tucker, of Australian National University, stated the flash was “definitely” brought on by a meteor which he estimates would have been travelling between 100,000 (62,000mph) and 150,000 kmh (93,000 mph).
He informed 9News: “This was a bit of space rock essentially, probably broken off an asteroid in the asteroid belt.
“As it hit the earth’s atmosphere, it created this bright flash and show in the sky.
“The blue-green colour is iron and nickel on the meteor heating up. It breaks apart and as it breaks apart, that’s what gives us that flash and sonic boom that people heard and saw.”
It shouldn’t be but identified the place the meteor landed, however it’s thought the article could have hit floor someplace within the Croydon space.