Russian rocket debris lights up Melbourne's night sky | WATCH
Australian Space Agency confirms that the mysterious light show in Melbourne was caused by a Russian rocket re-entering Earth's atmosphere.
People in Melbourne were treated to a breathtaking light show late Monday night, sparking speculations about meteors and space debris. Now, the Australian Space Agency has cleared the confusion, revealing that the luminous event was likely caused by parts of a Russian Soyuz-2 rocket re-entering Earth's atmosphere.
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In a statement released on Tuesday, the agency stated, "We have determined the flashes of light seen across Melbourne skies overnight were likely the remnants of a Russian Soyuz-2 rocket re-entering the Earth’s atmosphere."
This rocket was launched earlier from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome, successfully putting the 'GLONASS-K2' global navigation satellite into orbit, according to Russian media. The plan was for the rocket fragments to land safely in the ocean off the southeast coast of Tasmania.
The agency added it is monitoring alongside government partners to assess the outcome of this re-entry.
Initially, the brilliant display was mistaken for a meteor breaking apart in Earth's atmosphere. This breathtaking sight was accompanied by a loud boom and vibrations similar to an earthquake, as local media reported.
Mystery light takes netizens frenzy
“Last night there was a Meteor shower crossing Melbourne, around 12am I heard a loud bang that shook my place,” a social media user wrote on X.
"Um excuse me, I just saw a meteor? I was literally just going to get a biscoff shake and saw the coolest thing I’ve ever seen," wrote another.
Several videos purportedly showing the space debris were widely shared on social media platforms. Take a look at some of them.
Australia home to mysterious celestial activity!
This event follows a previous celestial spectacle in Australia when the launch of India's Chandrayaan-3 lunar mission is reported to light up the night sky in July. Days later, a mysterious metal cylinder found on an Australian beach was identified as likely debris from an earlier mission by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
