May 21 (UPI) — The evening sky over New South Wales, Australia, was briefly illuminated by a meteor that caused a bright flash as it streaked across the sky.
The fireball was spotted by multiple witnesses about 6:30 p.m. Wednesday in Sydney, Canberra and across New South Wales.
The meteor even streaked across the sky over the Australia Cup Qualifier between Queanbeyan City and Canberra Croatia right at kick-off time in Canberra.
“The greenish color indicates it was a meteor, usually with iron and nickel,” astrophysicist Brad Tucker told 9 News. “The bright flash midway means it is likely fragmented or broke apart.”
He estimated the meteor was about 12 to 20 inches in diameter, based on the brightness.
He told the Sydney Morning Herald the size “may not seem big, but they are super dense so [it] put on quite the show.”
Ellie Sansom, director of Curtin University’s Desert Fireball Network, said researchers are using video of the meteorite to try to determine where any fragments might have touched down.