‘Meteor’ seen in Melbourne was likely remnants of a Russian rocket

Stargazers were delighted when they saw what they thought was a meteor early on Monday night. Now it appears Russia is to blame.

A bright fireball lit up the night sky across Melbourne early Tuesday morning (pictured) which sent social media into meltdown.

Flashes of light seen across the sky over south-eastern Australia on Monday night were likely to have been remnants of a Russian rocket, the country’s space agency said.

The dazzling display was spotted over the southern states of Victoria and Tasmania, captivating stargazers who thought it might be a meteor.

What an amazing sight over Richmond 💫 I don't know if #Meteor#Comet or #SpaceJunk#Melbournepic.twitter.com/8SHbweU2qK

— Stewart Mason (@karmicstewii) August 7, 2023

But the Australian Space Agency said it was more likely to have been a Russian Soyuz-2 rocket re-entering the Earth’s atmosphere.

The rocket had been launched earlier that evening from Plesetsk Cosmodrome in Russia’s north-west, the agency said.

A bright fireball lit up the night sky across Melbourne early Tuesday morning (pictured) which sent social media into meltdown.

“This launch was notified and remnants of the rocket were planned to safely re-enter the atmosphere into the ocean off the south-east coast of Tasmania.

“The Australian Space Agency will continue to monitor the outcomes of this re-entry with our government partners.” There is growing concern about the risks posed by wayward space junk to satellites, humans and the environment.

Jaime Andres Alvarado Montes of Macquarie University said Earth’s orbital traffic had become “congested” with a “rise in objects and subsequent close encounters”.