Watch: ‘Lovely’ fireball lights up Otago sky

Saturday, 11 July 2026

A fireball lit up the sky of central Otago on Saturday morning.

The footage was shared to social media by Tūhura Otago Museum director and astronomer Ian Griffin, who called the fireball “lovely”.

The video showed the skies above Middlemarch at 2.05am, when a fireball quickly, but brightly, lit up the sky.

You can watch it in the clip at the top of the page.

What is a fireball?

Stardome astronomy educator Josh Aoraki previously told Stuff a fireball was a bright meteor that appeared to streak across the sky as it falls to Earth.

“Meteors are simply small bits of rock or ice that occasionally fall through our atmosphere, creating a streak of light commonly known as a shooting star. The brightness comes from the speed of the meteor hitting the atmosphere, creating intense friction and heat.”

Aoraki said it was more likely that the one on video burnt up in Earth’s atmosphere. Larger meteors falling to Earth are much rarer.

“Fireballs and meteors in general are pretty common – the rarity is if they are witnessed or captured as they are over within seconds. It’s estimated that around 100 tons of rock and debris falls to Earth every day.”