On a dramatic Sunday night, a dazzling meteor illuminated the skies over Victoria, Australia, sending shockwaves through the ground and sparking panic among residents. Eyewitnesses from cities like Bendigo, Ballarat, and areas of Melbourne watched in awe as the fireball blazed across the horizon at approximately 8 PM, with dashcams and CCTV footage capturing the breathtaking spectacle.

Social media was abuzz with reports of vibrations felt in the ground following the meteor's approach. Experts speculate that while most of the meteor likely disintegrated in the atmosphere, fragments may have touched down between Bendigo and Ballarat. Reports of a "sonic boom" added to the excitement, with some residents likening the sensation to an earthquake.

One shaken resident from Strathfieldsaye recounted hearing the loud sound and initially fearing that her neighbor's house had exploded. "I thought something had gone wrong and called to check on them," she told ABC News Australia. Scientists are intrigued by the sonic boom, suggesting it indicates that larger pieces of the meteor may have come dangerously close to Earth. Associate Professor Michael Brown of Monash University's physics and astronomy department noted, "Hearing a sonic boom so clearly suggests that a substantial chunk was close to the ground."

Was It a Part of the Meteor Shower?

Coinciding with this cosmic event was the peak of the Perseids meteor shower. However, astronomer Perry Vlahos clarified that Sunday night’s meteor appears to be a "sporadic meteor" with no specific connection to the shower. He explained, "The fireball was not linked to the Perseids or the Alpha Capricornids. The radiant point for these meteor showers doesn’t rise high enough for our location in Victoria."

Amateur astronomer David Finlay added that the size of this meteor, indicated by the sonic boom, is particularly rare for Australia, marking it as a noteworthy phenomenon.

Listeners from the region also shared their experiences. A caller from Ballarat described the sighting as so intense that he initially mistook it for a plane crash. "It moved slowly before plunging straight down rapidly," he recalled. Another witness said the impact felt as if the house had lifted and then dropped back down, amplifying the surreal atmosphere surrounding this astronomical occurrence.