Witnesses have reported seeing a bright fireball type meteor over much of New Zealand at about 9.00 pm local time on Tuesday 5 April 2016. The meteor has been reported by people across North Island, as well as on northern South Island in the area around Nelson. The fireball has been described as being initially orange, then turning bright green, which may give some idea as to its composition; orange can be indicative of a variety of materials, including carbonates, while green is often indicative of iron - a change in colour may indicate that the oter layer of the meteorite was made up of a different material to the inner (though we are unlikely to find any remains of the meteorite, so this is pure speculation). A fireball is defined as a meteor (shooting star) brighter than the
planet Venus. These are typically caused by pieces of rock burning up in
the atmosphere, but can be the result of man-made space-junk burning up
on re-entry.
The 5 April 2016 New Zealand Meteorite seen from Waikanae. Jono Matla/Facebook.
Objects of this size probably enter the Earth's atmosphere several times
a year, though unless they do so over populated areas they are unlikely
to be noticed. They are officially described as fireballs if they
produce a light brighter than the planet Venus. It is possible that this object will have produced meteorites that reached
the surface (an object visible in the sky is a meteor, a rock that falls
from the sky and can be physically held and examined is a meteorite).
See also...
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