Unbelievable! This stunning display of natural phenomenon transformed a 1,500km stretch of Australia’s coastline like never before
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No, it’s not a fireworks display or the Aurora Australis – something even more breathtaking recently lit up Australia’s skies, leaving thousands of residents in utter awe of what they just witnessed.
Witnesses reported seeing a spectacular meteor light show, which spanned an incredible 1,500km along the Australian coastline, from Mackay to Weipa, and even as far inland as Mt. Isa.
Locals were left speechless after experiencing an awe-inspiring cosmic phenomenon at around 9:20 pm on Saturday night.
A meteor appeared momentarily, seemingly turning night into day in its wake, with its flashing lights first turning green, then blue, and then transforming into a dazzling orange hue.
According to witnesses, the intense burst of colour illuminated the sky and was easily visible across huge swathes of Queensland.
One resident in the rural town of Normanton, Sharelle Bee, captured the extraordinary event on video as it interrupted a gathering at the local sports oval.
Her footage, which was shared on social media, quickly garnered more than a thousand shares.
Sharelle described her experience: ‘It was so bright, and it ended in an explosion. My heart skipped a beat and started racing.’
Brad Tucker from the Australian National University (ANU) estimated the meteor to be between half a metre and a metre (50 cm to 100 cm long) in size. He also estimated that the meteor would have been travelling within 100,000 to 150,000 kilometres per hour.
‘It was most definitely a meteor,’ Dr Tucker stated.
‘The fact that we saw it start from this small thing, then getting that big glow, and then the sonic boom afterwards all point to it being a meteor,’ he added.
Dr Tucker also mentioned that, despite appearing spectacular and imposing in the sky, meteorites were likely to be found on the ground as small innocuous-looking rocks. He also stated that most of the material would still be frozen, still chilled by the vacuum of space, by the time it landed.
‘It essentially does a belly flop. The friction builds up and causes that glow, and then it hits breaking point, which causes the huge flash and the sonic boom,’ Dr Tucker said.
According to him, most meteors are made of stony chondrite. However, the greenish colour that appeared prior to the impact was most likely caused by the overheating of iron and nickel fragments while the rock broke apart before hitting the ground.
Dr Tucker reassured everyone that the falling asteroid would not leave a crater because it would have been likely too fragmented by the time it reached the surface of the Earth.
However, the sonic boom was certainly unusual, and cause for concern..
He explained: ‘It’s a mid-air detonation, so if it’s over a populated area, that can cause the damage.’
Resident Mark Agius was relaxing on the deck of his home when the sky suddenly lit up at 9:30 pm on Saturday.
He said: ‘We noticed the light was increasing and thought, okay, this is weird, it's like a sunrise. Then the sky lit up — first white, then green, and when it disappeared over the horizon to the west, it had a yellowish hue or tinge to it.’
As it fell, Mr Agius said he waited for the ground to shake.
‘I just thought, “Where's the earth-shattering kaboom?”’
Cairns Airport also shared footage on its social media page of the moment the flash of light arched over the nearby mountain ranges.
You can watch the video below:
This cosmic spectacle left many people baffled, with some residents along the coastline mistaking the flash for lightning or even speculating about extra-terrestrial visitors.
Reactions ranged from being thrilled and awestruck to descriptions of the event as ‘crazy’ and ‘so scary’.
Kia Peterson, a Croydon resident, took to Facebook, commenting: ‘We felt the explosion here in Croydon and a big loud bang.’
Another local echoed the sentiment of fear, stating they heard the 'biggest bang' and thought it was 'scary'.
‘That is sensational footage,’ one replied to Cairns Airport’s post.
‘Yes, saw a huge flash lit up the entire sky over Caravonica at about 9:30 pm. Scared the living daylights out of me,’ another shared.
Astronomer Ian Maclean explained to reporters that the sound could be attributed to the meteor 'exploding' nearby in the upper atmosphere, which likely occurred in the Gulf region, west of Cairns. He added that at its peak, the meteor's light was as bright as the sun.
‘Clearly, it’s exploded in the upper atmosphere somewhere in the Gulf region, west of Cairns and was felt and heard in Croydon,’ he explained.
However, he gave no explanation as to why the meteor suddenly appeared over the night sky.
Were any of you lucky enough to have seen the meteor for yourself? Please let us know in the comments below. We’d love to hear your stories!
Witnesses reported seeing a spectacular meteor light show, which spanned an incredible 1,500km along the Australian coastline, from Mackay to Weipa, and even as far inland as Mt. Isa.
Locals were left speechless after experiencing an awe-inspiring cosmic phenomenon at around 9:20 pm on Saturday night.
A meteor appeared momentarily, seemingly turning night into day in its wake, with its flashing lights first turning green, then blue, and then transforming into a dazzling orange hue.
According to witnesses, the intense burst of colour illuminated the sky and was easily visible across huge swathes of Queensland.
Residents who saw the meteor were left awe-struck. Credit: Aleksandar Pasaric/Pexels
One resident in the rural town of Normanton, Sharelle Bee, captured the extraordinary event on video as it interrupted a gathering at the local sports oval.
Her footage, which was shared on social media, quickly garnered more than a thousand shares.
Sharelle described her experience: ‘It was so bright, and it ended in an explosion. My heart skipped a beat and started racing.’
Brad Tucker from the Australian National University (ANU) estimated the meteor to be between half a metre and a metre (50 cm to 100 cm long) in size. He also estimated that the meteor would have been travelling within 100,000 to 150,000 kilometres per hour.
‘It was most definitely a meteor,’ Dr Tucker stated.
An astrophysicist estimated that the meteor was up to a metre in size. Credit: Cairns Airport/Facebook
‘The fact that we saw it start from this small thing, then getting that big glow, and then the sonic boom afterwards all point to it being a meteor,’ he added.
Dr Tucker also mentioned that, despite appearing spectacular and imposing in the sky, meteorites were likely to be found on the ground as small innocuous-looking rocks. He also stated that most of the material would still be frozen, still chilled by the vacuum of space, by the time it landed.
‘It essentially does a belly flop. The friction builds up and causes that glow, and then it hits breaking point, which causes the huge flash and the sonic boom,’ Dr Tucker said.
According to him, most meteors are made of stony chondrite. However, the greenish colour that appeared prior to the impact was most likely caused by the overheating of iron and nickel fragments while the rock broke apart before hitting the ground.
Dr Tucker reassured everyone that the falling asteroid would not leave a crater because it would have been likely too fragmented by the time it reached the surface of the Earth.
However, the sonic boom was certainly unusual, and cause for concern..
He explained: ‘It’s a mid-air detonation, so if it’s over a populated area, that can cause the damage.’
Resident Mark Agius was relaxing on the deck of his home when the sky suddenly lit up at 9:30 pm on Saturday.
He said: ‘We noticed the light was increasing and thought, okay, this is weird, it's like a sunrise. Then the sky lit up — first white, then green, and when it disappeared over the horizon to the west, it had a yellowish hue or tinge to it.’
As it fell, Mr Agius said he waited for the ground to shake.
‘I just thought, “Where's the earth-shattering kaboom?”’
Cairns Airport also shared footage on its social media page of the moment the flash of light arched over the nearby mountain ranges.
You can watch the video below:
This cosmic spectacle left many people baffled, with some residents along the coastline mistaking the flash for lightning or even speculating about extra-terrestrial visitors.
Reactions ranged from being thrilled and awestruck to descriptions of the event as ‘crazy’ and ‘so scary’.
Kia Peterson, a Croydon resident, took to Facebook, commenting: ‘We felt the explosion here in Croydon and a big loud bang.’
Another local echoed the sentiment of fear, stating they heard the 'biggest bang' and thought it was 'scary'.
‘That is sensational footage,’ one replied to Cairns Airport’s post.
‘Yes, saw a huge flash lit up the entire sky over Caravonica at about 9:30 pm. Scared the living daylights out of me,’ another shared.
Astronomer Ian Maclean explained to reporters that the sound could be attributed to the meteor 'exploding' nearby in the upper atmosphere, which likely occurred in the Gulf region, west of Cairns. He added that at its peak, the meteor's light was as bright as the sun.
‘Clearly, it’s exploded in the upper atmosphere somewhere in the Gulf region, west of Cairns and was felt and heard in Croydon,’ he explained.
However, he gave no explanation as to why the meteor suddenly appeared over the night sky.
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