’s night sky erupted in a moment of cosmic drama Sunday evening as a brilliant green meteor blazed across the heavens, leaving residents stunned and social media buzzing with excitement. The meteor, captured in vivid detail by local Tom McCallister, appeared as a sudden, radiant emerald streak around 6 p.m., its fiery trail cutting through the twilight and igniting gasps across the city.“It was like a scene from a blockbuster—absolutely breathtaking and a little bit surreal,” McCallister told reporters after sharing his footage with the ABC. Australian National University astrophysicist Brad Tucker confirmed the sighting as a meteor, not space debris, due to its rapid speed and distinctive blue-green glow. “We’re talking about a meteor roughly the size of a tennis ball to a basketball, burning up spectacularly in our atmosphere,” Dr. Tucker explained, noting such events are rare over major cities and often signal a dramatic end for the space rock.

As the meteor’s glow faded, the night’s celestial show was far from over. Across southern Australia, the Aurora Australis—or Southern Lights—painted the sky in vibrant hues of pink and green, a dazzling display driven by a powerful geomagnetic storm. “It is quite unusual to see the aurora this far north,” said astronomer Fred Watson, emphasizing that the storm’s intensity allowed the lights to be visible from as far north as Tamworth, New South Wales. In Tasmania and regional South Australia, observers described the aurora as breathtaking, with colors so vivid they seemed to dance across the horizon.

“We sat for half an hour hoping the clouds would clear, and then—wow—there was Lady Aurora! The colors were so beautiful and vibrant,” said Cressida Toorenburg of East Devonport, Tasmania. The aurora’s dynamic shapes and shifting hues captivated photographers and skywatchers, with many sharing images that made the phenomenon appear even more vivid than to the naked eye.

While the aurora was best viewed in southern and regional areas, the meteor’s dramatic appearance over Sydney became the night’s most talked-about event. Experts noted that both phenomena were linked to increased solar activity, with the storm’s energy amplifying auroral displays and potentially contributing to the influx of meteors visible from Earth. The Australian Space Weather Forecasting Centre warned that cloud cover would likely obscure further aurora sightings in Sydney, but encouraged enthusiasts to stay alert for future opportunities as solar activity remains high.