If you saw something strange in the sky over Cronulla in the early evening yesterday, it seems you aren't alone.
There have been numerous reports of strange activity in the sky just before 5.30pm on Saturday, with some people taking to Facebook to report the strange phenomena.
I was among those to see something unusual in the sky as I sat in a parked car at North Cronulla shortly before 5.30pm. With a broken foot and unable to exercise, it has become a ritual a few times a week for me to sit and take in the salt air and ocean view while my husband walks our dog.
I had just rang my mother to check in with her when I saw what looked like a strange aircraft come from the west and streak out towards the ocean. I was still watching it and wondering what sort of plane could move that fast when it seemed to explode in green light and disappear.
Shocked, I told my mum, "I think I just saw a UFO," when a young man walking past heard me and said "Yes I saw it too".
It wasn't until my husband returned to the car about 20 minutes later that I got further validation.
"You're going to think I'm crazy but I think I saw a UFO," I said. His reply: "Don't worry, I saw it too". He said he had been walking when he heard people nearby exclaim and point to the sky. He looked at where they were pointing and saw a flash of red light.
A few searches of the internet later and I came across a number of posts on the Australian Meteor Reports Facebook page.
One person wrote: "I just joined this group because this evening I saw something like I've never seen before. Looking out over the ocean at Newcastle ocean baths at around 5.30pm today I saw a largish bright light moving quite quickly down towards the water".
This prompted responses from people from Sydney, the Hunter Valley, the South Coast, the Blue Mountains and even Broke.
While some thought it was a meteor, others suggested it was a satellite burning up on re-entry.
Someone else wrote: "Just saw a meteor at 5.25pm. It was very bright considering there was still light in the sky. Did anyone else see it?"
All said they saw it at around 5.25pm. Some were even more specific and said 5.24pm - a check of my phone records shows this was when I was on the phone.
Residents from Caringbah, Engadine and Cronulla were among those to respond with their own sightings.
The Leader has asked Sydney Observatory to comment.
