It's a bird... it's a plane... it's Superman... no wait - on fire?
A mysterious fireball lit up the Bangkok skyline yesterday, setting social media ablaze with panic and anxiety with everyone looking for an explanation.
Amidst extreme speculation, some thought it might have been a meteorite, others picked space junk. An exploding aircraft was mentioned and there were those who thought it could have been just a huge shooting star.
Check out this dashboard camera footage showing the fireball's speedy descent before it increased in size and eventually burnt out:
Despite the apparent size of the fireball, which was reportedly visible some 200kms from the capital, meteorologists said the event wasn't a major incident.
Thailand's Astronomical Society confirmed only today that it was nothing but a rare phenomenon called a "bolide" or exploding meteor which streaked across the sky with a thunderous roar. However, Bangkok was in no danger of being vapourised. According to Society President Prapee Wiraporn, the meteor was of such unusual brightness that it could be seen in daylight, reported the
Sunday Morning Herald (as can be seen in picture below)
Scary, but not the end of the world yet.