Skies above New Zealand lit up by a ‘mystery’ object – so is it a meteor shower or just space junk? 

‘What the hell is that?’ Incredible moment the skies above New Zealand are lit up like ‘fireworks’ by a ‘meteor shower’

  • This is the moment an object flew across New Zealand, lighting up the sky 
  • Residents across the country’s North Island reported sightings of bright lights 
  • Many were unsure whether the falling object was space junk or a meteorite

This is the incredible moment an object flew across New Zealand and lit up the sky, as experts claim it’s a meteorite.

Residents scattered across the country’s North Island reported sightings of bright lights zooming through the sky at 9pm.

Many were unsure whether the falling object was a piece of space junk re-entering the earth’s atmosphere, or a possible meteorite.

Many were unsure whether the falling object was a piece of space junk re-entering the earth’s atmosphere, or a possible meteorite

President of the Auckland Astronomical Society Bill Thomas told the NZ Herald he found it more likely the object was a meteorite.

‘There’s a visible sort of tail, whereas a satellite [is] like a point of light moving across the sky … bright [meteorites] like that one as not that common in the one place, but they’re common worldwide.’ 

New Zealand Police posted an alert saying they’re aware of the meteor: ‘Rest assured, we have confirmed with our Paranormal Division, and it is nothing to be concerned about.’

People around the country managed to catch a glimpse of the mysterious object, with many managing to capture it on camera.

Graham Billings was enjoying dinner at an Italian restaurant when he saw the light fly across the sky.

‘It was definitely a meteor. I wondered what it was for a bit but we can still see the smoke trail,’ Mr Billings said.

In Whangamata, Jen Maloney and her friends saw the object light up the sky twice, once at 8.55pm and another one 15 minutes later.

This is the incredible moment an object flew across New Zealand and lit up the sky, as experts claim it's a meteorite

This is the incredible moment an object flew across New Zealand and lit up the sky, as experts claim it’s a meteorite

Ms Maloney described the light show as green, beautiful and dramatic, leaving a ‘singe’ smell afterwords.

One couple were in Auckland discussing the dangers of the use of drones when they looked up to the sky and thought they spotted one.

What May and Brian Seager actually saw was the meteorite whizzing through the sky above them.  

‘It was a bright light and then it went green and left like a vapour trail. It was going way too fast [to be a drone] and it looked like it broke up into two pieces afterwards.’

More than 400 kilometres south, Steve Bloor saw a dazzling display in Napier.

Mr Bloor said when he saw the object – that he first believed to be a jet plane – it exploded into millions of pieces, like fireworks.      

Residents scattered across the country's North Island reported sightings of bright lights zooming through the sky at 9pm

Residents scattered across the country’s North Island reported sightings of bright lights zooming through the sky at 9pm

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