Abstract illustration of a shooting star, meteor.
Camera IconAbstract illustration of a shooting star, meteor. Credit: Supplied/Getty Images/iStockphoto

VIDEO: Perth residents report seeing “fireball” in the sky and hearing explosion in York

Rachel FennerHills Avon Valley Gazette

PERTH Observatory was “inundated” with calls on Tuesday night after Perth residents reported seeing a fireball in the sky.

Neighbourhood Facebook groups were overwhelmed by posts made by people asking if others had seen the light over Perth.

People in York reported hearing an explosion in town.

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Perth Observatory posted a wide range of video footage to Instagram.

Richard Bailiff also captured great footage on his dashcam.

The York Community Resource Centre captured a video of the moment the sky lit up.

While Lance Boston’s video shows the meteor from further away.

Perth Observatory is asking people to send in images and videos.

The Observatory is also asking people to download the Fireball in the Sky app and make a report.

Richard Tonello, observatory manager at the Gravity Discovery Centre, said the flash was almost certainly a meteor.

“It’s consistent with what I’ve seen in the past,” he told radio station 6PR on Wednesday morning.

“That’s all tell-tale signs of a decent-sized meteor burning up in the atmosphere.

“We’re talking debris travelling at 40,000 to 50,000 km/h.

“The heat build-up around causes the surrounding air around it to glow.”

Curtin University’s meteor tracking group Fireballs in the Sky believe the meteor landed in Northam.