Fireball over Bangkok sky

07 กันยายน 2558

After trail of smoke streaks across Bangkok morning sky, video quickly posted to social media & debate begins: meteor? space junk? burning balloon? aircraft? helicopter?

Mysterious trail of smoke streaks across Bangkok morning sky.

OUTER SPACE

Mysterious fireball sighted over Bangkok

7/09/2015
Online Reporters

Netizens have posted messages and pictures on social media of what they describe as a large, bright fireball streaking across the northern sky of Bangkok about 8.40am on Monday, leaving behind a trail of smoke.

SIGHTINGS

According to the messages, the fireball was sighted from many different localities, including the Khlong Tan intersection, Phetchaburi road, Victory Monument and Vibhavadi Rangsit, Rama 9, Sukhumvit and Rama 4 roads.

Netizens in Kanchanaburi in the western part of the country also said they also saw the flaming object.

The Kanchanburi deputy governor said there was no report of a helicopter or aircraft crashing in the province. He assumed the light was the same fireball seen over Bangkok.

There were also reports on Twitter that the fireball was seen over Nakhon Ratchasima about the same time.

METEOR?

Jor Sor 100 radio cited an astronomer in reporting that the fireball might a meteor streaking down through the atmosphere.

An official at the Bangkok Planetarium, however, said there had been no reports of a meteorite crashing to the ground. Most meteors completely burn up in the atmosphere. If one did crash to earth it would probably be noticed, he said.

What was seen across the sky this morning might be a burning balloon, the official added.

SPACE JUNK?

Information on the website satview.org suggests the flaming object was space debris.

Space junk flock 1B-11, object number 40459U was due to burn through the atmosphere on its way to earth about that time, according to the website. http://www.satview.org/spacejunk.php

Above a video clip from a dashboard camera posted on YouTube by Mesapong Poofeenapun shows the fireball dropping from the sky when the vehicle was at Pracha Uthit road in Bangkok, below is another video clip: