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Thailand Fireball Explained? What The Flaming Object In Viral Video Might Be

By Toni Matthews
Published on: 01:03 PST, Sep 8, 2015

Thailand is buzzing after several videos of a mysterious “fireball” turned up on the internet. Theories about the object range from a UFO sighting to a meteorite. So what is it exactly? Well, to begin to understand what’s got people scratching their heads in confusion, it’s probably best to take a look at the fireball for yourself.

RT reports the fiery object appeared in the sky over Bangkok, Thailand at about 8:45 a.m. local time on Monday. It was rush hour, so there were hundreds of witnesses to the spectacle. RT says that reports of the fireball also came in from Korat and Kanchanaburi. In addition to videos being posted to the internet, comments describing the object appeared on various forms of local and international social media.

What’s interesting is that the fireball never actually crashed; it came streaking down, lit up brightly, and then vanished suddenly.

As the story goes viral, many netizens have asked for an explanation of the bizarre footage. Well, it turns out that what commuters in Thailand witnessed very likely wasn’t that bizarre.

Saran Poshyachinda, Deputy Director of National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand, told CNN, “There is a high possibility that the object spotted this morning [is from] outer space.”

“It looks like an asteroid traveling to Earth and grazing through the air, and it turned into a fireball.”

Saran says the alleged asteroid would have weighed “a few kilograms”; he also estimates it burned up about 62 miles above the Earth. Although this is what Poshyachinda believes to be the most likely explanation, he said that there’s insufficient evidence to make an absolute statement. His theory was based on photographic evidence alone.

According to the Bangkok Post, an official from the Bangkok Planetarium suggested that the fireball might have been a burning balloon. However, the Satview website might have offered the most acceptable explanation of all. Apparently, some space junk was due to make its way through the Earth’s atmosphere at around the time the fireball was seen in Thailand.

Despite the various scientific explanations available, some viewers maintain that there was a supernatural or alien cause for the fireball over Thailand. This isn’t so surprising. Just look at the various claims that come in from individuals who routinely see “alien artifacts” in photographs of Mars.

Unfortunately, because the object was destroyed, we may never have a single, satisfactory explanation. What do you think it was? Share your theories in the comment section below!

[Image Credit: YouTube]

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