Long-lasting daylight fireball over Western Siberia, impact reported, Russia
Image credit: PilatN
A bright daylight fireball was recorded over Western Siberia during late afternoon hours of August 4, 2018 (local time). The event lasted up to 20 seconds.
The event was recorded from several towns, including Yugansk and Surgut, and reported that it landed in a remote area.
According to RT, the emergencies ministry said it's unaware of whatever dazzled the locals.
Some suggested it was a piece of a rocket burning up the atmosphere due to its entry angle and long-lasting nature.
There were no planned re-entries for August 4.
The event took place just a couple of hours after another long-lasting fireball streaked over eastern Australia. That event lasted for more than 8 seconds and was recorded by hundreds of people. Astronomers said the object could have been between the size of a basketball and a fridge.
Early analysis suggests meteorites might have fallen around Cooma, near the Snowy Mountains south of Canberra.
"Judging from the brightness of the meteor, it was most likely a large fragment, between 30 and 70 cm (1 – 2.3 feet) in length," said astrophysicist Brad E Tucker of Mt. Stromlo Observatory at the Australian National University. "It does look to be slower moving than a normal meteor," he said.
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Both looked more like a controlled descent than a random meteor strike.