Australia: Bright object reported falling from the sky in Townsville

A flaming object has reportedly fallen from the sky and hit the ground “like a bomb”, according to residents in Queensland, Australia.

What seemed to be a massive ball with a blue and orange tail appeared in the sky and then plunged towards the ground.

No debris was found where the object crashed.

“It was pretty big and this thing hit like a bomb — it was huge,” said Townsville homeowner Terry Robinson. “I don’t know how big it was, but in the sky it looked like half a dozen jumbo jets falling out of the sky at the same time.”

The meteor’s blue flame would have been caused by the metals in its makeup; copper and lead are two elements that burn blue. It could have been a small asteroid or part of an old satellite or piece of space junk that fell out of orbit.

Despite looking like it was close, it’s probable that the meteor eventually made landfall a long distance away. Astronomer Owen Bennedick told ABC that while most of the meteorite would have been burned up in its entry through Earth’s atmosphere, any part that fell would have been distant to Townsville watchers: “Only the heavier objects make it to ground, the rest of it burns up in the atmosphere.

“My experience is that most people think it’s landed just over the next door hill, but the pieces have actually landed hundreds of kilometres away. They look like they’re very close but that’s not necessarily the case.”

Agencies/Canadajournal