A strange UFO sighting has left residents in Toowoomba, Australia, mystified, as a rather unusual fireball seemed to deliberately fall from the sky. While UFO sightings involving objects that look like fireballs are commonly associated with meteorites or comets, this particular sighting is a bit more interesting due to the strange speed of the object as it descended.

The incident, covered in a Chinchilla News report, was captured by Toowoomba resident and amateur astronomer Rod Bishop, who managed to capture the mysterious object through a three-CCD camera. According to Bishop, he had been sitting on his porch at around 6 p.m. local time when he noticed the strange light descending from the sky.

While the sighting has been dismissed by skeptics as nothing more than a meteor or space junk falling to the Earth, Bishop has remained steadfast in his belief that what he managed to capture was something far more remarkable. For one, the witness stated that the mysterious fireball-like object banked sharply to the left and right as it fell from the sky. Of course, such behavior, and the fact that the falling object was descending at a very deliberate pace, is very uncharacteristic of meteorites — or space junk for that matter.

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“I am an amateur astronomer and spent 18 years in the army barracks so I know what aircraft look and act like. This just made my jaw drop,” he said.

Other critics of the sightings have stated that the object was simply a man-made object that happened to be in the area. So far, Bishop has remained unconvinced, stating that when he initially saw the mysterious object, he himself thought it was simply a satellite. However, the amateur astronomer stated that his previous experience in the military has taught him that what he saw during the Toowoomba UFO sighting was something out of the ordinary.

While the actual answer behind the mysterious sighting remains unknown at this point, UFO investigators are quite convinced that the fireball descending from the sky is something otherworldly. However, vice chancellor and senior research fellow Professor Jonti Horner believes that there is a very logical explanation for the mysterious fireball incident.

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Interestingly enough, the professor agreed with Bishop that the mysterious fireball was not a meteor or space junk since the pace of the strange light’s descent was far too slow. Unlike UFO supporters, however, Horner stated that he believes the mysterious object was not of extraterrestrial origin at all. Instead, it might simply be the International Space Station, according to the Express.

“Without knowing the date the video was shot, and the time, I can’t be sure – but the light looks too slow to be a meteor or fireball, and even too slow to be a bit of space junk returning to Earth and burning up in the atmosphere. The Space Station is really bright, brighter than the brightest stars, and quite slow moving – and can be quite spectacular. The video is a bit blurry, but I think that’s the most likely explanation – it looks right to me.”

The professor further stated that the ISS is visible from practically anywhere when as it orbits around the planet. Considering the pace of the mysterious fireball that descended on Toowoomba, there is a good chance that what Bishop was able to witness was simply the ISS passing by.

“The passes are predictable – we know when the station will be visible from anywhere on the planet, so it’s something quite nice to do. When a really good pass is predicted, go outside, and watch it fly over. It passes a couple of hours or so after sunset, you get an added treat – as the station moves into the Earth’s shadow, it starts to dim – and as it does, its color changes noticeably from white/cream, going redder and redder until it fades out of sight.”

While the ISS explains the pace of the mysterious fireball’s descent, however, it fails to explain how the UFO was able to change directions as it fell from the sky. After all, as much as witnesses are concerned, even the ISS, one of the most recognizable man-made structures in Earth’s orbit, is not capable of suddenly changing its course in an instant. For now, at least, the truth behind the mysterious UFO fireball in Toowoomba remains unknown.

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