Panic broke out in Bangkok on Monday morning after local authorities mistook an unidentified fireball for a plane crash, dispatching more than a hundred rescue workers from across the Thai capital.
Several dash-cam videos surfaced on social media shortly after the mysterious object appeared, igniting debate between astronomers and officials about the flaming debris’ origins.
While the shooting-star-like spectacle could have been a meteorite, it could also have been space junk falling from the sky, deputy director of the National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand Saran Poshyachina told the Bangkok Post.
Worawit Tanwutthibundit, an astronomer stationed at Chachoengsao Observatory, said that the public should not be concerned either way. “The photo of the white smoke that has been shared a lot is in fact the train of smoke of a meteor,” he told Matichonnewspaper. “This is a normal phenomenon.”
A representative from the Bangkok Planetarium said that typically most meteorites burn out in the atmosphere before hitting the earth.
See Impact Craters On Earth From Space
The Shoemaker Impact Structure in Australia (previously referred to as Teague Ring and renamed in honor of the late geologist Eugene Shoemaker). The precise age of the impact is unknown, but it is estimated between 1000 and 600 million years ago. The structure is 30 km in diameter.NASA/GSFC/METI/Japan Space Systems/U.S./Japan ASTER Science TeamGosses Bluff impact structure in Northern Territory, Australia. It has a diameter of 22 km.UIG/Getty ImagesBarringer impact structure (also known as Meteor Crater) in Arizona. It is 49,000 years old and has a diameter of 1186 km.Getty ImagesBarringer impact structure (also known as Meteor Crater) in Arizona. It is 49,000 years old and has a diameter of 1186 km.UIG/Getty ImagesThe Acraman impact structure in Australia. It is 570 million years old and has a diameter of 160 km.UIG/Getty ImagesManicouagan Impact Structure in Quebec. It is roughly 213-215 million years old and has a diameter of approximately 100 km.Manicouagan Impact Structure, Quebec, Canada
Sensor: L7 ETM+
Path/Row: 13/24
Lat/Long: 51.400/-68.738
Category: Land FeaturesThe Clearwater Lakes impact structures. They are 270 to 310 million years old with diameters of both craters of 32 km and 22 km.UIG/Getty ImagesVredefort Meteor Impact Crater in South Africa. It is roughly four billion years old and is the largest verified impact crater on Earth, estimated to be more than 300 km across when it was formed.Planet Observer/UIG/Getty ImagesWanapitei Lake Meteor Impact Crater in Manitoba. It is approximately 37.2 million years old and has a diameter of 8.4 km.Planet Observer/UIG/Getty ImagesThe Lonar impact structure in India. It has a diameter of 1.83 km.UIG/Getty ImagesThe Oasis crater North of Koufra Oasis in Libya. It is less than 120 million years old and was thought to have a diameter of roughly 18 km post-impact.Planet Observer/UIG/Getty ImagesRoter Kamm meteorite crater in the Namibian section of the Namib Desert. It is estimated to be between 4 and 5 million years old and has a diameter of 2.5 km.NASA/GSFC/METI/Japan Space Systems/U.S./Japan ASTER Science TeamSpider Crater in the Kimberley Region of northern Western Australia.Jesse Allen/NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS/ U.S./Japan ASTER Science TeamThe Aorounga impact structure in Chad. It is 200 million years old and has a diameter of 17 km.UniversalImagesGroup—UIG via Getty ImagesThe Tenoumer meteor crater in Mauritania. It is 2.5 million years old and has a diameter of 1.9 km.UIG/Getty ImagesChesapeake Bay Meteor Impact Crater in Virginia. It is approximately 35 million years old and is thought to have had a diameter of about 40 km post-impact.Planet Observer/UIG/Getty Images
