A SOUTHEAST Queensland astronomer says a “near earth asteroid” was likely the cause of a flash of light seen across the sky last night.

Central Queensland residents have reported bright lights and a loud boom in the night sky, sparking speculation of a meteor strike.

Owen Bennedick has operated the Wappa Falls Observatory on the Sunshine Coast for more than 25 years.

Our CCTV at Fisherman's Landing captured the meteor which rattled Central Queensland last night. pic.twitter.com/zyOPcxgIpD — Transport Main Roads (@TMRQld) September 27, 2016

Mr Bennedick said he believed an asteroid about three to five metres in diameter likely detonated after it became too hot when it entered the earth’s atmosphere.

“We haven’t had anyone yet say they’ve seen any holes in the ground,” he said.

“But we’re asking people to keep an eye out for trees that might have damage.”

Mr Bennedick will travel to Gladstone today to see if there was any evidence a meteorite - the term given to a piece of asteroid or meteor that makes it to Earth after entering the atmosphere - had made it to the ground.

The astronomer said he had also heard reports a second light was seen across the night sky about 2am. “Sometimes these things travel in groups,” he said. “That would confirm it was travelling with a companion.”

'Ball of flames falling from sky': Queensland residents report 'meteor' crashing off coast https://t.co/5eK3WbuTv4 pic.twitter.com/va6glJYeMR — 7News Yahoo7 (@Y7News) September 26, 2016

Mr Bennedick said there was no way to tell if other asteroids about the same size were on a collision course with Earth.

“The tracking systems can’t see the small stuff they can only see the big stuff,” he said.

“This was obviously a fairly big piece.”

EARLIER: Hundreds of residents said they saw “a flash of light” in the sky, followed by a “tremor”.

Police received multiple calls from residents in the Gladstone area about 8.27pm Monday reporting their houses shaking in what was initially believed to be an earthquake.

A spokesperson for Geosciences Australia confirmed there had been a “tremor” around Gladstone about 8.30pm on Monday and that it wasn’t caused by an earthquake.

And the weather bureau has said there is no meteorological explanation for the sightings.

No, we don't know anything about a meteor shower near Gladstone, but we know some people who might. #TheTruthIsOutThere pic.twitter.com/ENESz20XFv — QPS Media Unit (@QPSmedia) September 26, 2016

There were reports as far south as the Sunshine Coast, with one Nambour man saying he heard a loud noise and a flash of light just before 8.30pm.

Lanky Jones said the light was very bright and it appeared as though an object was burning up in the sky.

DID YOU SEE SOMETHING IN THE SKY TONIGHT OR FEEL THE TREMOR? TELL US ABOUT IT IN THE COMMENTS SECTION BELOW

“It sounded a lot like a sonic boom, which would make sense if something was travelling too fast into the atmosphere,” he said.

“I don’t know what it was, whether a meteorite or piece of space junk, I didn’t feel the tremor but the sound suggests something came down to earth.

“It’s definitely not something you see every day.”

But a US-based astrophysicist may have shed some light on the issue.

Harvard’s Jonathan McDowell told the Gladstone Observer the object in the sky was most likely a meteor. “This sounds like a big (meteor), first in several years that has been that big,” he said.

“It’s not a comet, or Queensland wouldn’t exist anymore (and we’d have seen it coming for days).

“It is probably a large meteor - I’m guessing a rock about a metre across which would have been big enough perhaps to leave fragments (meteorites) on the ground.”

Higgins Storm Chasing weather group said the meteorite most likely impacted somewhere offshore because there were no reports of damage on land

Witnesses described what they saw in the sky, with many reporting the same story and one resident even posting a security video which she claimed captured “the light”

Meanwhile, a 3.8 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Airlie Beach at around 10.15pm, though there is nothing to suggest it was as a result of the apparent meteor strike.

Higgins Storm Chasing crew said they received reports of a bright flash of light by hundreds of people.

“The light was seen as far south as Hervey Bay and as far north as Yepoon with a tremor being felt upon impact over the general Gladstone area and Boyne Island,” the group said in a Facebook post.

A Mackay woman said she “saw a ball of flame falling from the sky looking south East,” said a Mackay woman.

A Sunshine Coast woman posted: “Saw it from Mooloolaba looking north orange and black mass at around 8.27pm.”

A Beecher local said they saw a blinding light and felt an explosion before their house shook.

One man from Boyne Island said he was sitting in his car when he saw the object in the sky.

“It looked like a shooting star and lit up the beach, then about a minute later there was a big bang and a shock wave came over the water and shook my car a little bit. It was a pretty awesome experience,” he said.

It is understood fire crews have been called to Emerald to investigate after “burning objects in the sky” were reported.

Confused locals took to social media seeking an explanation for the phenomena, but currently no authorities have confirmed any of the reports.