"Fireball" lights up Thai skies and there could be more

A large bright fireball, likely part of the annual Taurid meteor shower, briefly turned night into day, over several parts of Thailand last night.

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"Fireball" lights up Thai skies and there could be more

A large bright fireball briefly turned night into day over several parts of Thailand last night.

Astronomers say more such sightings are possible since this is the time of year when the Taurid meteor shower makes its annual appearance in the sky.

The suspected meteor was seen in Bangkok, Chon Buri, Ratchaburi, Kanchanaburi, Khon Kaen, Nakhon Pathom, among other provinces, around 8.35pm.

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Residents of the Tai Ping condominium on Bangkok's Soi Ekamai said the fireball briefly turned night into day.

Dashcams from many vehicles caught the scene and netizens quickly went to twitter to describe what they saw.

"I could see it clearly in Chum Phae district, Khon Kaen province. It's moving west," said @Libpon on her Twitter account sent to JS100.

"I saw it on the expressway on my way to the Rama II exit, too," said @Kinokim_knk on another account.

The Thai Astronomical Society Facebook page was so overwhelmed with questions that it had to put out a lengthy question and answer section, explaining that the bright light was a likely fireball, a very bright meteor caused by a meteoroid. Since it likely burned up completely, it was probably not a meteorite.

The American Meteor Society has a more detailed explanation:

"Every October and November the two branches of the Taurid meteor shower become active. The Taurids are not known for their high numbers, rather they are known more for the fireballs they produce. Occasionally there are more Taurid fireballs than normal. 2015 may be such a year.

"Typically, Taurids appear at a rate of about 5 per hour, moving across the sky at about 27 kilometers per second, or 105,000kms per hour."

Story includes information from our online reporters

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