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© Southland Times2012 file photo of meteor spotted in Southland.
A Southland man has reported bright orange meteor-like activity followed by a "boom" and a bright glow coming from some distance away.

Dave Diack, from Oreti Plains, said he was outside at about 10.20pm when he spotted two objects in the sky - a short time apart.

It was a really clear night and he saw a bright orange object tracking from the south-west, he said.

"It wasn't a high one falling. It was more travelling horizontally on a slightly downward path, then it disappeared to the north."

About 10-15 seconds later he saw a second orange object in the sky, this time coming from the east. He said he thought the fact the objects came from different directions was odd. Then he said he "sort of heard a boom" in the distance and saw a bright glow emanating from the distance. The glow quickly dimmed.

Diack said it was hard to judge how far away it was, but he thought it might have come from the Dipton area.

"I've seen a few meteors over the years but I haven't seen one for quite some time. Last night's was a little bit different. We're fairly isolated and we haven't got any properties near us so when the sky's clear you can see quite a bit."

Southland Astronomical Society president Phil Burt said it was possible to sometimes see dozens of meteors in a night - and southern skies would be busy during the next two months.

The annual Orionid meteor shower will be visible from October 2 to November 7.

The shower is expected to peak on the night of October 20 and 21, where up to 20 meteors will be visible every hour.

"It's not uncommon to see more meteors but during these parts of high activity when they pass through the earth's orbit it's much more likely to see groups of them," Burt said.

The Leonids meteor showers will peak on November 17 and 18.

About 20 meteors an hour can be viewed at the peak of the shower.