A bright fireball observed across Victoria, Australia just after 09:30 UTC (19:30 LT) on August 10, 2025, generated a loud sonic boom before breaking apart at low altitude. Few days later, scientists have identified a likely fall zone northeast of Maryborough, between Ballarat and Bendigo.
A bright meteor streaked across the night sky over Victoria on Sunday, August 10, creating a stunning fireball display that was seen by residents across the state. The visual spectacle was followed by a powerful sonic boom that rattled windows and shook buildings across central Victoria. Scientists are now searching for fragments of the space rock, which they believe survived its fiery descent and landed on the ground.
Geoscience Australia confirmed that it received multiple felt reports around 19:40 LT in the Bendigo area but recorded no seismic event, indicating that the shaking was caused by a meteor-generated sonic boom rather than an earthquake.
Monash University astrophysicist Associate Professor Michael Brown explained that the audible sonic boom indicated the meteor broke up at a relatively low altitude, increasing the chances that meteorite fragments could have survived to reach the ground. Initial estimates by amateur astronomer David Finlay placed the object’s size before entry at between 10 cm and 1 m (0.3–3.3 feet).
The event was captured on multiple cameras by the Desert Fireball Network (DFN) and Monash University, allowing researchers to precisely track the object’s trajectory.
According to Rachel Kirby of the DFN, the ability to calculate a pre-entry orbit makes the event “scientifically special,” as fewer than 70 of the more than 77 000 known meteorites have a documented orbit. This data can provide valuable insights into the origin of the meteorite within our solar system.
The DFN, in collaboration with the Global Meteor Network and local landholders, is currently refining the probable fall zone using triangulated video and sensor data. The area has been narrowed down to a few square kilometers northeast of Maryborough but the exact coordinates are being kept confidential during the search and recovery effort.
Once recovered, fragments will be examined to determine their mineralogy, isotopic composition and cosmic-ray exposure age.