A meteor lit up the sky above Sydney on Thursday evening and was seen from hundreds of kilometres away across Canberra and regional New South Wales, News.Az reports, citing 9News.
The bright flash appeared at around 6:30 p.m. and was witnessed by many people in Sydney, Canberra, and other parts of NSW.
Astrophysicist Dr Brad Tucker confirmed that the object was a meteor.
“It was spotted in Canberra and into central NSW,” Tucker told nine.com.au.
“The greenish colour indicates it was a meteor, usually with iron and nickel.
“The bright flash midway means it likely fragmented or broke apart.
“It could be 30 to 50 centimetres in size based on the brightness.”
Tucker, an associate professor at the Australian National University, explained that experts identify meteors based on their colour and speed.
“Colours of objects indicate what it is made up of. Space junk is usually more yellow,” he said.
“Meteors are travelling much faster than satellites or space junk, so they cover a larger distance and remain in the sky for a shorter period.”
He added that sightings of meteors are not uncommon in Australia, with “larger meteors like this maybe every month or so across Australia.”
Tucker said the timing of Thursday evening’s event made it particularly noticeable.
“It happened at a good time — early in the evening, so lots of people were still awake and out and about,” he said.
“They can happen in the middle of the night.”
One witness from Waterloo told nine.com.au she was surprised by the intensity of the flash.
“I saw a flash of light in the sky and was so confused. I first thought it was a flare that had been lit,” she said.
“Then I noticed this glowing ball of orange falling from the sky. I’d never seen anything like it.
“The whole sky was lit up for all of 10 seconds.”
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