Astronomers Suggest Illuminated Aircraft Responsible
[2nd report]
[Original headline: Fireball seen blazing across sky not a comet ]

The Astronomical Society of Singapore has said the ball of fire seen blazing across the sky near the Tuas Second Link was not a comet or a meteor.

It told Channel NewsAsia that the object was moving too fast, did not reflect light and was clearly "burning up".

The ball of fire was seen blazing for more than 15 minutes across the sky last Sunday between 6.30pm and 7pm.

Moving steadily towards Earth, it created a lot of excitement among people who saw it in different parts of Singapore - at Eunos, Marina and even across the Causeway.

Among them were Shirley Chua and her family who captured the phenomenon on their video camera.

Shirley Chua said: "We thought that it was fireworks or what. It was very consistent and bright, travelling at a very, very fast speed."

The Astronomical Society of Singapore initially thought that the object was satellite debris - part of a rocket or a space booster left by man in space - re-entering Earth.

But it later ruled this out after a check with US' National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and a UK space expert.

They said the object hovered in the sky for too long to be satellite debris.

Their conclusion is that the object could be a distant jet or aircraft.

This is because the object was moving downwards slowly and towards the west, roughly in the same direction as the setting sun, which would have caused it to shine brightly against the evening sky.

Singapore's Defence Ministry has declined comment on whether there were any military activities during that time.

Strangely enough, at about 10am Singapore time, a similar sighting was seen in the Canadian sky, but that was a Russian rocket booster re-entering Earth.

• Story originally published by:
Channel NewsAsia / Singapore | Hasnita A Majid - Aug 15.01

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