IS IT A BIRD? A PLANE? OR A BALL OF HOT FIRE?
The bizarre celestial event was seen and recorded by Porjai Jaturongkhakun, whose dashboard camera recorded the scene as he was driving to work.
"It was the middle of a blue sky day and there was a quick, bright light coming down,” the satellite engineer told AFP.
“I usually see shooting stars at night but I have never seen one in the day before.”
Although many are still unsure about what was witnessed, there is speculation that the fireball may have been a meteor or even a burning balloon, according to Yahoo News. Some citizens did report hearing explosions, prompting a rescue
team to examine the assumed crash site; however, the fireball did not make an audible sound as it hit the ground.
If the fireball is, in fact, a "falling star" or a "shooting star," then what citizens actually witnessed was a streak of light caused by burning dust and rocks that fall into the Earth's atmosphere.
It was reportedly glowing green and orange and flew towards Earth's atmosphere at around 8:45 am local time, during the morning rush hour. Shortly following the event, people set social media ablaze, posting soon-to-be viral photos and videos of the "meteor."
According to MINA, the size of the fireball is believe to be quite substantial, as residents living 200 km from the capital also witnessed the event and heard an explosion, as reported by Thai PBS. It is considered a normal occurrence, but some citizens have interpreted the event to mean something deeper:
“It was a bad sign showing the country and the government is in chaos,” stated a Facebook user wrote.
See the video of the fireball here.