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© Alex McNeilThe meteor from Bulls
(New Zealand) Astronomers are hoping to find out if what was thought to be a giant meteor has landed on Earth.

Eye witnesses from Northland to Christchurch spotted what is believed to be a meteor flash across the sky just before 6.30pm last night.

Police up and down the country were inundated with calls from people describing a fireball that flashed green and orange, followed by a spiral trail.

People in the South Island reported a sonic boom.

Astronomers say it poses no risk.

Do you have any pictures or video of the 'meteor'. Send them to ONE News at news@tvnz.co.nz

The Carter Observatory said on its Facebook page it appeared to be a meteor burning up in Earth's atmosphere.

The astronomers hope to find out today if any of the meteor could have survived the re-entry to reach the ground and where it could have landed.

Do you have any pictures or video of the 'meteor'. Send them to ONE News at news@tvnz.co.nz

The Carter Observatory said on its Facebook page it appeared to be a meteor burning up in Earth's atmosphere.

The astronomers hope to find out today if any of the meteor could have survived the re-entry to reach the ground and where it could have landed.

Astronomer John Field of the observatory told ONE News meteors are very rare.


Comment: The above statement is grossly inaccurate.


He said by tracking the orbits of them, astronomers can work out where they came from to give an idea of what their parent body was.

"If they actually fall down to earth and become a meteorite and people recover it, we can analyse to work out where they came in the solar system. These objects could be about four billion years old," Field said.

Katy Robb said: "We saw it streak and then burn itself out in a big flash. The residue of light lingered for several minutes afterwards."

Olivia Atkinson said it looked like a "giant ball of fire" that "exploded at the end". She said she could only see it for five seconds.

Anton Jelinek spotted the phenomenon from Wakefield in Tasman District.

"It started out green, and the progressed through red and orange to a very bright white," he said.

"It left a white trial which lasted for a few minutes."