WATCH: Incredible meteor lights up skies in Australia's east
A rare phenomenon occurred across the night’s sky on Saturday as Australia’s eastern states witnessed a fireball hurtling above.
The burning meteor was spotted from southeast Queensland to the NSW Southern Highlands – where it is believed to have come crashing down in the state’s south.
The unexpected meteor stunned thousands of people, with many documenting the spectacle on social media.
“Damn! That is a shooting star.. wow.. serious!” one witness says during online footage.
“That was amazing! That was green wasn’t it?” another asked in disbelief.
It’s long tail of white light also flashed red and blue.
“It was really quite spectacular, it was kind of green and I actually thought it was a firework but the anticipated bang never happened,” onlooker Sue Stuart-Watt recalled.
And it was hard to miss, roaring overhead about 6.30pm.
Astronomers say it could have been anywhere between the size of a basketball and a fridge.
“Some people call it a bolide, which is another word for basically an even brighter fireball,” Professor John O’Bryne from the Sydney Institute for Astronomy said.
The shooting star was captured on hundreds of dashcams across the east and even made a fleeting appearance on Seven News as it passed behind an oblivious Michael Usher.
The meteorite was big enough to make it to the ground but experts says it will be difficult to find.
Astronomers are now analysing photos and videos to try to work out where it landed.
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Some early reports indicate it may have fallen around Cooma, south of Canberra.
“If it was a large enough object, somebody might come across a rather melted looking clump of rock – that may well be it,” Professor O’Bryne said.
