Local residents Tim and Geri Sayre captured dashcam video this evening of a shooting star over Bundaberg.
The astronomical event was observed about 6.48pm.
The Australian Meteor Reports public Facebook group recorded several sightings of meteor activity over Maryborough and the Sunshine Coast around the same time.
One spotter noticed a green one over the Glasshouse Mountains at 6.50pm.
Tim said they were driving down McCarthy Road, heading east towards Elliott Heads Road, when the sky lit up.
“It was white in colour (no green or orange) and was over before we knew it,” he said.
“We saw a second one about 9.15pm, but didn’t have the camera with me, again around about the same location as the first. Very cool!”
According to NASA, shooting stars can be caused by a meteor or meteorite.
“A falling star or a shooting star has nothing at all to do with a star! These amazing streaks of light you can sometimes see in the night sky are caused by tiny bits of dust and rock called meteoroids falling into the Earth's atmosphere and burning up,” NASA explains.
“The short-lived trail of light the burning meteoroid produces is called a meteor.
“Meteors are commonly called falling stars or shooting stars. If any part of the meteoroid survives burning up and actually hits the Earth, that remaining bit is then called a meteorite.
“At certain times of year, you are likely to see a great number of meteors in the night sky. These events are called meteor showers and they occur when the Earth passes through the trail of debris left by a comet as it orbits the Sun.”
Earlier this month, amateur astronomers across Australia were treated to shooting stars over several few days as bits of rock and ice from Halley's Comet burnt up in Earth's atmosphere.
The Bundaberg shooting star appears to be unrelated.
Here's a view from The Hummock:
- Other news: Amateur astronomer captures amazing pics
Wonderful reporting and stories of life events around Bundaberg, thank you.
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