Hundreds of Australians spotted a ‘giant fireball’ shooting across the sky on Thursday morning, as a meteor travelled across the country.
The meteor’s bright flash sparked numerous calls to 2GB’s Ben Fordham, as listeners reported the sighting and sought answers about what it could be.
Brad Tucker, a space expert from the Australian National University, confirmed that the sighting was likely a meteor.
‘It sounds like a meteor based on what everyone is saying, due to the fast nature of it – meteors move across the sky in seconds, if that,’ he told Fordham.
‘A couple of people noticed the green tinge, and that’s the biggest clue because these meteors, which are basically broken-off asteroids, burn a greenish-blue color due to the iron-nickel in them.
He said asteroids travel at speeds between 50,000 and 100,000 km per hour, and this one would likely have been visible across Australia.
‘It clearly covered a lot of distance in a short amount of time,’ he explained.