In a spectacular display of celestial beauty, residents across multiple suburbs of northeast Australia were treated to the sight of a fireball-like meteor streaking across the night sky on Saturday evening. The event, which occurred at approximately 9:22 pm, left witnesses in awe as the meteor flashed a vibrant green before seemingly crashing to Earth. One fortunate observer managed to capture the stunning moment on video at Cairns Airport in Queensland, further adding to the fascination surrounding the cosmic visitor.
Reports of the sighting quickly spread, with witnesses spanning from Barcaldine in the state’s far west to Cooktown in the far north sharing their experiences. Social media platforms were inundated with posts from amazed individuals, recounting the extraordinary sight they had witnessed. In addition to the visual spectacle, some residents in the small town of Croydon, situated approximately 500 kilometers west of Cairns, claimed to have felt an explosion-like sensation and heard a resounding boom.
To shed some light on the phenomenon, Dr. Brad Tucker, an astrophysicist at Australian National University, shared his insights. He explained that the meteor was likely a smaller to average-sized rock, measuring between 0.5 and 1 meter in diameter. Traveling at an astonishing speed of up to 150,000 kilometers per hour, the meteor’s entry into the Earth’s atmosphere caused it to ignite, producing the dazzling green glow that captured the attention of onlookers.
The mesmerizing video of the meteor’s descent quickly gained traction on social media, eliciting a variety of responses from viewers. One Facebook user expressed relief, noting, “Imagine if this landed a couple of hundred kilometers closer to the sea, that would have been a problem. How is it that the first we all knew of it was when we saw it hit the ground.” The potential impact of such an event was not lost on the public, highlighting the significance of monitoring celestial objects that approach Earth.
Curiosity about the meteor’s final destination surfaced among the online community. Another user eagerly commented, “Love to know its landing spot!” While meteorites, which are rocks from space that survive the atmospheric entry and reach the ground, were likely produced by this event, the impact would not have occurred at cosmic velocity. Comparing the meteor to similar fireballs in the past, the third user explained, “Based on what people have found after comparable fireballs, it would certainly have landed. But not impacted – in the sense that it wouldn’t have hit the ground at cosmic velocity (>12 km/sec), but at more like 300 km/hour.”
As interest in the event continues to grow, experts and meteor enthusiasts alike will eagerly await any discoveries related to the fallen meteorite. Such cosmic encounters remind us of the awe-inspiring wonders of the universe and the importance of continued exploration and study of these celestial phenomena.
While this particular meteor may have concluded its journey in a dazzling display over Australia, it serves as a reminder of the countless cosmic wanderers that grace our skies and occasionally make their presence known on our planet.
