Meteor sightings

A stunning event lit up the early morning sky across the top of the North Island at the weekend as a meteor crossed into the Earth’s atmosphere, and astronomers are on the hunt for more sightings. Witnesses reported a large meteor soared over the North Island at 4.26am on Saturday, being spotted from Kaikohe to Auckland, with its calculated trajectory breaking up east of Dargaville. One of five current witness accounts on Fireballs NZ said they first noticed the meteor when the paddocks in front of them lit up in a pulsing, light green hue. “By far the biggest event I’ve seen in the night sky before.” Logan Carpenter captured a “fireball in the sky” on a security camera on top of his house. Based in Castor Bay, Auckland, the amateur astrophotographer was looking at the stars through his telescope at the time and didn’t notice the event or footage until his wife checked the home security camera yesterday. Associate Professor of Geology at the University of Otago James Scott said he believed there will be far more people who saw the event but have not yet logged it with Fireballs Aotearoa. With more information, examiners can then analyse the trajectory and hope to recover freshly-fallen meteorites in New Zealand. Public reports can be loaded at www.fireballs.nz.