Flashes of light, thunderous booms as possible fireball crosses North Island
Residents across New Zealand's North Island reported seeing a bright fireball and hearing loud booms on Tuesday night. Experts are currently analyzing camera data to determine if the meteoroid survived its atmospheric entry and where any potential meteorites may have landed.
Why it matters
The event provides a rare opportunity for citizen science and astronomical data collection regarding meteor impacts in populated areas.
People have reported seeing bright flashes of light and hearing thunderous booms as a fireball crossed over the lower North Island.
Fireballs Aotearoa director Steve Wyn-Harris said the fireball, or large meteor, crossed the lower North Island at 10.26pm on Tuesday.
Wyn-Harris said many people who had heard it told them the fireball got low enough into the earth's atmosphere to potentially drop a meteorite or meteorites onto the ground.
Did you see the fireball? Send your pictures to iwitness@rnz.co.nz
He said members of their team were currently going through the data that their cameras collected last night.
"Once that is done, we will have a much clearer idea whether this meteoroid got low enough and slow enough to stop burning up, go into dark flight and also where it may have landed," he said.
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