Meteor explodes over Cape Town, South Africa

meteor-explodes-over-cape-town-south-africa

A bright meteor exploded over Cape Town, South Africa around 18:05 UTC on January 16, 2019 (20:05 local time). Bright light produced by the object was followed by very loud sound and ground shaking.

The American Meteor Society has so far received 6 reports about this event. If you witnessed it, please fill out this form.

People from all over the Cape, from Hermanus to Franschhoek, Cape Town and all the way to the Swartland, have been talking about the 'massive flash of flight' that appeared suddenly in the twilight sky, The Citizen reports.

According to witnesses, this bright object was followed by a loud bang that shook the ground and rattled houses and windows.

Trajectory and eyewitness heatmap – South Africa fireball, January 16, 2019. Credit: AMS

The South African National Space Agency (SANSA) confirmed that it had received hundreds of reports, The South African reports.

While no official statement has yet been issued by the organization, Riana Steenekamp, media spokesperson for Overstrand Municipality, says that she has been in contact with SANSA, and that they have indeed verified the event.

Initial analysis suggests parts of the object landed in the Helderberg vicinity.

Featured image credit: Dave Apter

Share:

Commenting rules and guidelines

We value the thoughts and opinions of our readers and welcome healthy discussions on our website. In order to maintain a respectful and positive community, we ask that all commenters follow these rules:

  • Treat others with kindness and respect.
  • Stay on topic and contribute to the conversation in a meaningful way.
  • Do not use abusive or hateful language.
  • Do not spam or promote unrelated products or services.
  • Do not post any personal information or content that is illegal, obscene, or otherwise inappropriate.

We reserve the right to remove any comments that violate these rules. By commenting on our website, you agree to abide by these guidelines. Thank you for helping to create a positive and welcoming environment for all.

2 Comments

  1. It’s me again. Please don’t misunderstand me, your content and site is wonderful, disturbing & necessary. I just hope having the odd/frequent uplifting story would be better for us all. What we focus our attention on, we tend to get more of! So let’s all think happy thoughts, redress the balance and slowly & surely find our way back to joy, sustainability, harmony and even Nutopia.
    Very best of luck to you. God help us all.
    ★ j a m e s ★

    1. I understand you and appreciate your thoughts. I believe balance and happy thoughts are individual things and should be approached as such. Since one platform can’t serve all individual needs, it’s up to all of us, individually, to create that balance. Micro to macro. Or as Gandhi said, be the change you want to see in the world. Wouldn’t that serve the collective better?

Leave a Reply to TW Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *