A mysterious green fireball streaks the sky in Australia

Recently, a rare green fireball was caught in northeastern Australia. Produces a flash of light, visible for hundreds of miles around. Explanations.

According to Brad Tucker, an astrophysicist at the National University of Canberra in Australia, this large green ball of fire is actually a meteorite. It crossed the country at a speed of nearly 150,000 km/h. It exploded in the atmosphere, far above the Earth’s surface to leave a crater in the Australian desert.

This innocuous blast was heard thousands of kilometers away by the people of the country. Its green color is linked to the composition of the meteorite. According to scientists, green appears when nickel and iron burn in the lower layers of the atmosphere. With the friction of air, a meteorite made of water ice melts and acquires a color depending on its composition.

This type of meteorite usually comes from the far reaches of the solar system. Most of the time, the rock comes from the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. For an often unknown reason, it may deviate from its path and approach the Sun.