Residents Witness Fireball Fall From Wellington Sky as Daytime Meteoroid Passes Over Te Ika-a-Māui / North Island in New Zealand

Residents across North Island in New Zealand reported Thursday afternoon the cracking and rumbling noises they heard and the fireball and explosion of light across the sky. Scientists believed it was likely a rare daytime meteor.

New Zealand Residents Share Meteor Sighting At Wellington

The Meteorological Service of New Zealand Limited (MetService) tweeted the event with the caption "an interesting signature from the Wellington Radar." The meteor sighting happened at 1:52 p.m. in Wellington, New Zealand.

The photo shared by MetService showed the cross-section of the atmosphere along with what seems to be the meteor smoke trail as it passed over the lower North Island. Yet, the agency said that the phenomenon was not meteorological.

The witnesses said they heard rumbles, bangs, rattling windows, and crackling sounds in the ears. Some described a hair standing on end or a streak or explosion of light.

According to the Guardian, one witness said that they initially believed it was an earthquake but it did not sound right. The witness described it as sounding more like a big heavy truck with a beat. Although there were no tracks near the house at the time, their home slightly vibrated.

Another observer, Curtis Powell, shared that his dash cam captured the phenomenon while he was driving North of Shannon early afternoon on Thursday. He was on his way to his job when he saw a massive bright light and a blueline falling from the sky.

He realized that his dash cam was recording, so he downloaded a video of what he described as a once-in-a-lifetime spectacle.

James Sorensen also shared his experience on Twitter. He said that he was looking directly south in the Hutt Valley when an object had literally just burned up in the atmosphere. He saw a huge flash of light as it combusted and disintegrated.

Scientist Comments on Meteor Sighting At Wellington

Dr. Duncan Steel, a space scientist from Wellington who has worked for NASA, said the object was probably a piece of meteorite, and seeing it during daytime was a rare experience.

"In my lifetime I've only ever seen one daytime meteor. They are due to micrometeoroids in the atmosphere coming in very quickly, typically 30km per second. To be seen during the daytime it would need to be quite large, something the size of a rugby ball or bigger - that's what makes them rare," Steel said.

In a radio interview on Today FM, Allan Gilmore of Canterbury University's Mt. John Observatory said that people with frizzy hair often hear the electrophonic sound produced by the meteor. He added that the electrical charge could cause some people's hair to stand on end.

Otago Museum director Dr. Ian Griffin asked people to keep any images or recordings they may have as they might be able to use them to triangulate the position of the object and where it landed. Griffin added that since meteorites were quite rare in the country, retrieving one might be very scientifically important.

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