A meteor seared over Australia on Tuesday night, lighting up the sky over Perth.
According to the ABC, the local Department of Fire and Emergency Services received calls from “more than one concerned caller” who thought the meteor could be a UFO.
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The meteor’s fiery descent was captured on several dash cams.
CCTV footage shows how bright the meteor was — in the clips in this broadcast, it illuminates the entire frame.
Perth residents weren’t sure if they actually saw the meteor’s fall on Tuesday. @goralphy thought he was caught speeding by a traffic camera.
OK. Was I the only one to just see an asteroid , meteor, shooting star in North Perth Mount Lawley area?
— Paul Langstaff (@plangy) August 28, 2018
Others took the opportunity to roast the city.
Large Meteor Streaks Through Sky Over Perth, Perth Thrilled That Something Finally Happened in Perth
— Dan Olson (@FoldableHuman) August 28, 2018
As Lisa Barnes points out, if the meteor managed to make it to land, you probably shouldn’t grab souvenirs. Remnants belong to the state and any discoveries should be reported to Gravity Discovery Centre.
Lots of reports coming in about a meteor in the sky over Perth last night. Senior astronomer at Gravity Discovery Centre Richard Tonello tells @6PRbreakfast even if a piece hit the ground, it technically belongs to the State Govt & should be reported to the museum #perthnews
— Lisa Barnes (@Barnsy_Lisa) August 28, 2018
Finding actual pieces of meteor is questionable — according to Professor Phil Bland, director of the Desert Fireball Network which studies the fallen space rocks, only about 2 to 3 percent of visible meteors make it to the ground.
But Bland is hopeful. He told ABC that considering how bright it appears on camera, the object must have been large. Larger meteors have a greater chance of making it through Earth’s atmosphere intact.
“So that is really exciting,” he said.
ABC reports that the Desert Fireball Network should be able to pinpoint where the meteor landed by the end of the day.
