Aussies stunned by ‘fireball' meteor
The bright fireball passed through the skies about 6am on Sunday over the Central Wheatbelt, producing a brilliant yellow flash and a trail of bright green.
Witnesses were able to catch a glimpse of the early-morning meteor from Perth to the Goldfields, however, experts are yet to determine where it eventually landed. Residents in Western Australia have been stunned as a meteor lit up the skies on Sunday morning. Supplied Credit: Supplied
The Perth Observatory said the astronomical sight was 'most likely an iron meteor' which had been 'orbiting within the inner Solar System'.
'To shine that brightly, the fireball — technically known as a bolide — would have been about the size of a cricket ball to a basketball,' the observatory said online. The 'fireball' meteor left a green trail in its wake Supplied Credit: Supplied
According to Perth Observatory's Matthew Woods, the meteor would have been travelling between 16 to 60km per second, leaving behind a trail of green as the built-up friction melted.
He told 9News it was 'one hell of a meteor'.
'That was very nice … little surprise for Mother's Day,' he said. Some thought the light was the moon. Supplied Credit: Supplied The meteor was spotted across much of the state. Supplied Credit: Supplied
Online, witnesses were dumbfounded by the 'spectacular' sight, with some believing it was an aeroplane.
'Never seen anything like it,' one person wrote.
'Thought someone was driving at us with high beams on at first,' said another, who watched it pass overhead from Newdegate.
A resident from Mt Magnet said they initially thought the 'huge and burning bright orange-red' light was 'the moon until it moved'. The meteor created a bright orange and red light. Supplied Credit: Supplied
Some thought the meteor was the Kosmos 482, a Soviet-era spacecraft that plunged back to earth more than 50 years after its failed launch to Venus.
However, Curtin University astrophysicist Steven Tingay told the ABC it was unlikely the fallen spacecraft, which likely landed over the Indian Ocean on Saturday, though European and US agencies are yet to confirm its exact location.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Canberra Times
25-07-2025
- Canberra Times
'He couldn't go into the pub in Jindabyne ... they'd punch his lights out'
The results of this and subsequent research showed that snow gums have a substantial effect on rainfall. They intercept turbulence and down draughts of moisture-laden air to the extent that if the estimated 15,000-20,000 hectares of snow gums that have been removed since European settlement were regenerated, it would be the equivalent of increasing precipitation over that area by about 10 per cent. In an area which can receive up to two metres of precipitation a year, that's almost 200 millimetres extra per year. Not to be sneezed at, especially when you consider the Australian Alps provide about one-third of the annual inflow of water into Australia's biggest food bowl - the Murray Darling Basin.
ABC News
25-07-2025
- ABC News
Starlink satellites disrupting astronomy research in WA's Murchison, study finds
Global satellite internet service Starlink could interfere with the world's largest radio telescope being built in Western Australia's Murchison, a new study reveals. The Square Kilometre Array Observatory (SKAO) is an international project that aims to provide an unparalleled view of the universe, enabling scientists to explore the first billion years after the so-called dark ages, when the first stars and galaxies formed. Curtin University PhD researcher Dylan Grigg analysed 73 million images of the entire sky at different frequencies to examine how satellite signals were disrupting radio astronomy. His study indicated the future of WA's SKAO telescope, known as SKA-Low, could be in jeopardy, as radio noise spilling from thousands of Starlink satellites low orbiting Earth was already interfering with signals. Mr Grigg explored the 50—350 MHz frequency range that the SKA-Low would use during his three years of research. "We took an image of the sky every two seconds for about a month," he said. "In the end, we found that there were a lot of satellites, with the overwhelming majority of them being Starlink." Mr Grigg said Starlink satellites were emitting radio noise from onboard electronics, different to the designated downlink frequencies used for the internet. "It currently falls into a bit of a grey area of regulation," he said. "What they're doing is completely legal and fine, but it's interference for radio astronomy." Mr Grigg said SKA-Low aimed to seek out extremely faint signals emitting from the far reaches of the universe, but this would be challenging with "very noisy" satellites passing. "Even if your algorithms are very good for filtering some of this … it makes it really difficult." The ABC has contacted Starlink for comment. SKAO spectrum manager Federico Di Vruno said Mr Grigg's findings were consistent with SKAO's previous studies, but more work was needed to develop a clearer understanding of Starlink's impact on low-frequency observations. "Unintended electromagnetic radiation (UEMR) is an unregulated aspect of space which poses a challenge for radio astronomy," he said. The number of human-made objects in space has soared, with the Union of Concerned Scientists reporting that a record number of satellites were launched last year. But Mr Di Vruno said that, unlike the single station used in Mr Grigg's study, the SKA-Low would use many stations separated over a large distance, meaning the unwanted signals that satellites produced were not as much of a worry. "The SKA-Low telescope will be made of up to 512 stations spread over 74 kilometres," he said. "We are continuing to study the issue and raising it in international settings like the UN in collaboration with all stakeholders." International Centre for Radio Astronomy director Steven Tingay said he hoped Mr Grigg's report would stimulate conversation. "I characterise this particular study as, I think, the most comprehensive, unbiased study of the situation, setting down a bit of a baseline for what's going on at this particular point in time," Professor Tingay said. "We can then revisit this in future years and then go back and compare to the baseline and see what's changed — have things improved, have things not improved? Are there more signals? "And also, stimulate discussion, raising awareness with the general public that, yeah, there are some pretty obvious trade-offs between having global internet, which is an amazing thing, and preserving the sky for doing important science. "It's a trade-off there that I think the public should be aware of."
West Australian
22-07-2025
- West Australian
Curtin University study reveals having common STIs during pregnancy increases risk of birth complications
Having gonorrhoea during pregnancy almost doubles the risk of stillbirth, new research has found. That was just one finding from a large-scale study of almost 60,000 births between 2005 and 2020 in the Northern Territory. Curtin University researchers found strong links between several sexually transmitted infections and a higher risk of birth complications. The research revealed congenital syphilis, passed from mother to baby, tripled the risk of preterm birth and more than doubled the risk of restricted growth in the womb. Other common STIs like chlamydia, gonorrhoea, and trichomoniasis were linked to babies being small for their gestational age. Researchers said the links between maternal gonorrhoea and increased stillbirth risk could be reflective of 'more severe placental dysfunction or foetal infection in some cases'. Lead author Jennifer Dunne, from Curtin's School of Population Health and the enAble Institute, said the findings highlighted the need for ongoing STI testing throughout pregnancy. 'Current STI screenings happen early in pregnancy, but we need additional checks later in pregnancy, especially in high-risk areas,' Dr Dunne said. 'Many of these infections are common, preventable and treatable — we just need to be able to catch them in time to treat them as early as possible.' STIs are often asymptomatic yet highly prevalent in women of reproductive age. Untreated infections can lead to adverse outcomes. Co-author Jacqui Hendriks said the study, published in The Lancet Regional Health – Western Pacific, also underscored additional public health challenges faced by people living in regional and remote areas. 'Barriers to timely testing and treatment still exist in isolated communities. The Northern Territory has some of the highest STI rates in Australia, yet healthcare access in remote areas is often limited,' she said. Dr Hendriks said accessible, culturally appropriate services needed to be strengthened, including early prenatal and follow-up care.
