Meteor Boom Stuns Victoria, Sparks Hunt for Space Rocks
Last night, central Victoria had one of those “did that really just happen?” moments when a bright fireball blazed across the evening sky, followed by what many described as a sonic boom. Around 7:30–8:00 pm, residents from Bendigo to Ballarat, and even parts of Melbourne, reported seeing a massive, glowing object streak overhead. Some people thought it was fireworks, others thought it was an explosion, and a few even feared a plane crash. A woman in Strathfieldsaye said she rang her neighbour, convinced something had blown up nearby.
Social media lit up within minutes — photos, dash-cam videos, and astonished posts rolled in from across the state. While some swore they felt the ground tremble, experts have clarified there was no earthquake recorded. Instead, the loud boom was likely caused by the meteor entering Earth’s atmosphere at incredible speed, compressing the air in front of it, and creating that unmistakable crack of a sonic boom.
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Amateur astronomer David Finlay explained that this meteor wasn’t just a fleeting streak of light — it was likely a sizeable rock, anywhere from a grapefruit to a wheelbarrow in size. Fragments may have survived the fiery descent, possibly landing somewhere between Bendigo and Ballarat. He noted that meteorites from such events are rare and scientifically valuable, comparing the potential find to the famous 1969 Murchison meteorite, which contained organic compounds linked to the origins of life.
The outside of any surviving fragments would appear black and slightly charred, with a smooth but irregular surface. Inside, they’d be a pale grey. But finding them won’t be easy — as Monash University’s Michael Brown pointed out, Victoria has plenty of ordinary rocks, and the difference can be subtle unless you know exactly what to look for.
Interestingly, astronomers have ruled out this being part of the current Perseid meteor shower. Perry Vlahos explained that the meteor’s path didn’t match the “radiant” point of that shower, making it what’s known as a “sporadic meteor” — one with no specific known origin in a meteor stream.
While the spectacle was awe-inspiring, scientists stress there’s no danger from such events in this case. Any surviving meteorites would be small, cool to the touch, and harmless — unless, of course, they happened to land on someone’s shed. Still, the combination of brightness, sound, and possible debris makes this one of the most exciting meteor sightings Australia has seen in years.
For now, eyes — and perhaps metal detectors — will be turned toward the paddocks and fields of central Victoria, where pieces of this visitor from space might be waiting to be discovered.
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