Locals witness meteor

A rare and wondrous sight beheld residents last week when a strange phenomenon penetrated Broome’s night skies.

Locals reported seeing a shooting star or comet-shaped fireball streaming through the sky on the evening of Sunday, June 24.

Despite not seeing the sky show, local astronomer and Astro Tours operator Greg Quicke said he received a number of calls from locals about 7.30pm describing the phenomenon.

“The descriptions are quite right,” he said. “It was a meteor coming through the sky.”

Mr Quicke said residents were lucky to have been outdoors at the right time to witness the meteor.

Some locals reported seeing the meteor for about five seconds, while others said it lasted for 30 seconds.

Mr Quicke said in reality, the spectacle would have lasted for only seconds.

“People might think it was up there for a long time but it would have been more like 5-10 seconds,” he said.

“You usually see little flashes that are really quick.”

Mr Quicke said the meteor was part of the June Bootids – a meteor shower that occurs around June 27 each year as the earth moves around the sun.

He estimated the meteor was travelling around 65,000km/hr and said meteors varied in size and could be as small as a pin head or as large as a cricket ball.

Mr Quicke said Broome residents had a good view of the spectacle in the night sky because of the pollution-free environment.