Watch: Mysterious light seen above Australia's Victoria linked to Russian rocket

The Australian Space Agency has revealed that the mysterious light streak witnessed across Victoria's night sky shortly after Monday midnight likely originated from the remnants of a Russian rocket.

Numerous observers throughout the state, spanning from Melbourne CBD to Mount Buller, observed this incredible celestial phenomenon, with many people claiming that they detected both a 'boom' sound and vibrations beneath them.

In a statement issued Tuesday afternoon (August 8), the Australian Space Agency disclosed that the event was "probably the aftermath of a Russian Soyuz-2 rocket re-entering Earth's atmosphere."

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What an amazing sight over Richmond 💫 I don't know if #Meteor #Comet or #SpaceJunk #Melbourne pic.twitter.com/8SHbweU2qK — Stewart Mason (@karmicstewii) August 7, 2023

The luminous streak was visible for a duration of 30 to 40 seconds.

"Launch of the Soyuz-2 rocket occurred from Plesetsk Cosmodrome earlier in the evening. According to Russian authorities the launch placed a new generation 'GLONASS-K2' global navigation satellite into orbit," the space agency said via a statement.

Contrary to initial speculation suggesting a meteoric origin, Swinburne University astronomer Alan Duffy conveyed to Australian local media that there were obvious signs that showed this happened because of space debris.

Duffy expounded, "The extended, large flash of light...burning up for 30-40 seconds and breaking up... indicates space junk. It's not a small naturally occurring space rock like a meteor; it's something substantial, probably weighing a couple of tonnes. In some videos, you can discern colors in the burning fragments."

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Although the luminous display appeared quite close to the Earth, Duffy clarified that it was situated "tens of kilometres above" the surface. He acknowledged some people may have heard a boom sound and experienced shaking ground as certain fragments must have been dense enough to reach the surface of the Earth.

Furthermore, Geoscience Australia detected seismic signals in the vicinity of northwest Melbourne, which are typically associated with earthquakes, potentially explaining the reports of ground tremors.

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