An Australian Had An Unexpected Close Encounter With A Falling Meteor

"While testing one of our Body Cameras on a stormy day a meteor hit the bay directly in front of me just as I sat down. The sound was insanely loud but only lasted for a second or two. I was literally lost for words. Hopefully, no boats were hit!"Show more

John Zahra, the author of this video, could not have gotten a better meteor encounter, even if he tried! After sitting on the bench overlooking the beach in Melbourne, he was treated to the interstellar landing of a meteorite!

Earth is shelled with millions of tons of space material every day. The largest part of the objects turn to vapor in our atmosphere, but some of the larger fragments manage to reach the ground. Most of the objects originate from asteroids, which are comprised of various types of rocks and have existed since the beginning of the solar system. As they travel through our atmosphere, these pieces are heated by friction. This is the reason why they glow, and if this happens at night, you can see a long line of light known as a meteor.

The object that survives the trip and drops to Earth’s surface, it is called a meteorite. Most of these fall into the ocean, and the rest on land. You would be surprised how many people seek them and are called meteorite hunters. John Zahra did not intentionally seek after capturing a close encounter with a meteor, he just happened to be there with his camera on in the right time and in the right place.

Have you ever witnessed a meteor falling to Earth? Do share your stories with us in the comment section below.