The research vessel captures the moment a meteor breaks off on Tasmania’s south coast

The live streaming camera aboard the CSIRO Investigator research vessel operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, but rarely detects an extraordinary event.

Shortly before 9:30 pm on Wednesday, the crew aboard the ship some 100 kilometers south of Tasmania were treated to the sight of a meteor breaking over the ocean.

The bright flash, which appeared green to the naked eye but was captured in black and white video, descended from space and disintegrated before their eyes.

Travel manager John Hooper said capturing the moment was just “a stroke of luck”.

“What we saw when looking at the live stream footage blew us away, the size and brightness of the meteor was incredible,” he said.

Glen Nagle of CSIRO Astronomy and Space Science said that while more than 100 tons of natural space debris enters Earth’s atmosphere every day, most of it flies over unpopulated areas, making this sighting even more special.

Mr. Nagle said that friction is what gives the meteors their spectacular appearance.

“When a meteor enters the Earth’s atmosphere at high speed, it is the friction of the rock with the atmosphere that causes them to burn, as their kinetic energy is converted into other forms such as heat, light and sound.

“Many meteors were once asteroids, traveling through space in their trajectory, but that changes as they pass close to Earth, where they can be affected by its gravitational pull,” he said.

“When they enter our atmosphere, they become meteors and their entry can be visually spectacular.”

The crew of the RV Investigator were doing routine seafloor mapping and testing the marine equipment when the extraordinary sight occurred, a sight they don’t think anyone else has managed to get on camera.