Meteor or Contrail? Nine News Mistakenly Reports Aircraft as Celestial Event

In what appears to be a case of misidentification, Nine News recently excited Melbourne residents with reports of a meteor lighting up the city’s skies, only for the footage to be later debunked by astronomical experts as showing nothing more than an ordinary airplane contrail.

The segment, broadcast on the Today show and subsequently published across Nine Entertainment’s digital platforms including the Age and Sydney Morning Herald, featured footage of what the newsreader described as a “meteor shower” that was “leaving locals scratching their heads as to what it could be.”

“Some took to social media to speculate whether it’s space junk, re-entering the atmosphere,” newsreader Lizzie Pearl told viewers. “However, the Lyrid meteor shower is the most likely answer, most visible across Victoria until the 25th of this month.”

The story quickly gained traction online with headlines such as “Meteor lights up Melbourne sky” appearing across Nine’s media properties. The footage had apparently been sourced from social media where it had been circulating as a purported meteor sighting from Sunday.

However, observational astronomer Michael Brown from Monash University identified a significant problem with the report. “This is clearly not a meteor but an airplane contrail,” Brown explained, noting that the error could have been avoided with a simple verification call to any professional or amateur astronomer.

“There’s been an increasing number of posts on weather and astronomy groups with photos or videos of airplane contrails asking if they are rockets, meteors or space junk,” Brown added, highlighting a growing trend of misidentifications circulating on social media platforms.

After being contacted about the error, Nine Entertainment removed the videos from all three websites where they had remained published for four days. “Thanks for flagging this,” a Nine spokesperson conceded. “The story has been taken down.”

The incident raises questions about verification procedures at major news organizations, particularly when reporting on scientific phenomena. With over 500 reporters at its disposal, Australia’s largest media company had ample resources to confirm the authenticity of the footage before broadcasting it to a national audience.

Meanwhile, the actual Lyrid meteor shower, an annual celestial event, continues through late April and is indeed visible across Victoria and other parts of Australia. Unlike airplane contrails, genuine meteors typically appear as fast-moving streaks of light that last only seconds, often with distinctive characteristics that trained observers can identify.

The error comes at a time when media literacy experts increasingly emphasize the importance of verifying information before sharing, especially content originating from social media sources. Astronomical societies regularly offer guidance to the public and media outlets on identifying genuine celestial events.

For Melbourne residents hoping to witness actual meteors, astronomical experts recommend looking to clear, dark skies away from city lights during the pre-dawn hours, when the Lyrid shower is most visible.

Nine Entertainment’s swift removal of the content after being notified of the error demonstrates a willingness to correct misinformation, though the incident serves as a reminder of the challenges news organizations face in balancing speed of reporting with accuracy, especially when covering specialized scientific topics without expert consultation.