A meteor exploded in the sky above New South Wales. An astronomer explains where it might have come from

At about 6:30pm last night, a meteor exploded with a bright flash that was widely seen across eastern Australia.

Stunned onlookers from Sydney to Canberra, and beyond, reported seeing the explosion light up the night sky in colourful streaks ranging from blue to green to orange.

In technical terms, the fireball was a “bolide”. Bolides are meteors that are not only brighter than the planet Venus, but which can also seen to explode or break up as they enter…

© La Conversation - jeudi 21 mai 2026