Meteor over SA
© YouTube/Roodepoort Record
A meteor in full flight is a spectacular sight that most of us don't get to see in person up close. Where real life fails, technology and social media have stepped in to make sure we don't miss a thing.

The Roodepoort Record reports that a local resident and his wife made an interesting discovery while reviewing their CCTV footage. The man wanted to assist his neighbour in Vuurlelie Street after their dog was poisoned, so he thought he would take a look at the footage.

While they might not have found information about the dog, they did discover a meteor shooting through the sky around 9PM on Sunday.

While it only lasted a few seconds, the sheer brightness and apparent proximity of the object should be enough to satisfy your curiosity.

You can see the video of the event below.


But what exactly is a meteor? The Telegraph helped break it down with this brilliant list.

What is a meteor?

A meteor is a meteoroid - or a particle broken off an asteroid or comet orbiting the Sun - that burns up as it enters the Earth's atmosphere, creating the effect of a "shooting star". Meteoroids that reach the Earth's surface without disintegrating are called meteorites.

Where do they come from?

Meteors are mostly pieces of comet dust no larger than a grain of rice. Meteorites are principally rocks broken off asteroids in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter and can weigh as much as 60 tonnes.

Why can we see them?

When Meteors enter the Earth's atmosphere from outer space, the friction caused by air particles heats them so that they glow, leaving behind them a trail of gas and melted particles as they disintegrate 30 to 60 miles from the ground. Most glow for about a second, but others leave a trail that lasts for several minutes.