Keen to see footage of Sunday ‘fireball’

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

Gisborne residents were among those across the North Island who saw a large fireball soaring across the sky on Sunday — presumed to be a meteor burning up.

The fireball was seen from Auckland, Waikato, Gisborne and Hawke’s Bay.

Some of those who saw it at 9.12pm reported a loud sonic boom as it flew overhead, travelling from north-west to south-east.

Fireballs Aotearoa representative Steve Wyn-Harris said it is important to document the event with as much detail as possible.

Mr Wyn-Harris says Fireballs Aotearoa has sky cameras at many sites around New Zealand, but the view in the Gisborne-Hawke’s Bay area was hampered by moonlit cloud on Sunday.

“As a result, we have only partial recordings in this area, so we are asking people to review their security camera footage and contact us if they have recorded anything.”

If anyone has footage or saw the fireball they can make a report to Fireballs Aotearoa on fireballs.nz/report/

Any information and footage will help with a scientific analysis of the meteor event.

Mr Wyn-Harris says the sonic boom people heard was probably the meteor burning and breaking up in the atmosphere, and it was possible pieces may have reached the ground.

Pieces of a meteor that survive are called meteorites and can provide clues to the past history of the solar system.

Comments from people who witnessed the fireball included —

“We saw a very fast and very bright meteor flash across the sky, very low heading east from west direction, as we were sky watching about 9.15pm. Colours of pink, green, blue and white spiralling in this massive ball going so fast, huge tail on this too. We are in a rural area west of Hamilton.”

“Saw a bright meteor tonight between 9pm & 9.30pm heading NE. The flames behind it looked awesome. Saw it from Waipawa, Hawke’s Bay.”