A meteor lit up skies along much of the NSW east coast and the ACT about 6.30pm on Thursday, fascinating onlookers.
Footage captured from a surf camera overlooking Sydney’s Maroubra Beach appears to show the water suddenly illuminated by an intense burst of light.
Witnesses described the light as briefly turning the ocean “electric blue,” and smoke-like trails lingered in the sky moments later.
The fireball was also captured by a golfer on Sydney’s Northern Beaches who had set up a camera to film his swing. It also made an appearance right on kick-off for the Australia Cup Qualifier between Queanbeyan City and Canberra Croatia in Canberra.
The meteor was seen streaking across the sky as far inland as Mudgee, Dubbo, Bathurst and Junee in NSW, and some on social media reported seeing it as far north as southeast Queensland.
The stunning sight has now been confirmed as a meteor with Astrophysicist Dr Brad Tucker, an associate professor at Australian National University in Canberra, telling nine.com.au, “it could 30 to 50 centimetres in size based on the brightness.”
“The greenish colour indicates it was a meteor, usually with iron and nickel. The bright flash midway means it is likely fragmented or broke apart.”
The chemical composition of the rock is what determines its colour, with nickel tending to appear green while a high calcium content appears as purple and a high iron content shows as yellow.
The larger or faster moving the meteor, the brighter it appears from earth.
Social media quickly filled with reports of residents across Sydney spotting the phenomenon.
NSW Police said they had investigated and reports.
“It appears to be a metrological event. No reports of any injuries or damage to property,” a spokesperson told news.com.au.
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