Many people were afraid of the rare natural phenomenon that New Zealand witnessed – writes A Watchman.
A meteor may have appeared over New Zealand’s North Island on Thursday. Social media was filled with reports that Many people heard small explosions, hums, crackling sounds, windows shook, and many saw a ray of light in the sky, followed by a column of smoke.
The onboard camera of Curtis Powell, who works as a plumber, also recorded the phenomenon:
Based on what they heard, many people thought an earthquake had occurred.
According to Wellington space researcher Dr Duncan Steele, people may have seen a piece of the meteorite, which is rarely seen during the day.
“I have only seen one meteor in broad daylight in my life. In this case, giant meteors enter the atmosphere very quickly, at a speed of 30 km/s. To be noticeable even during the day, they must be large enough, like a rugby ball or even larger “.
The director of the local Otago Museum is asking the public to keep their photos and recordings of the phenomenon, which can be used to determine where the meteorite fell if it did.
“From a scientific point of view, it would be very important if we could find them, because they are very rare in this country,” he said.
