Astronomers think that an unidentified flying object seen over the Thailand central province of Ayutthaya was a bright meteor.
Morakot Areeya, head of a astronomy learning centre, was quoted on Monday by the Bangkok Post as saying that he saw a burning object speeding across the sky at about 6:20 p.m. (11:20 GMT) on March 4 in Ayutthaya's Nakhon Si Ayutthaya district. Other witnesses also reported they have seen the object that night. Worawit Thanwuttibandit, an adviser to the Thai Astronomical Society, said the object might have been a large meteor.
Dr Sarun Posayajinda, deputy director-general of the National Astronomical Research Institute, said it was possible that the object was some kind of space debris which had burst into flames on entering the earth's atmosphere. Morakot managed to take a photograph of the object, which he first thought was an airplane that had burst into flames. However, he was surprised to see the object continue to streak across the sky in an easterly direction before disappearing from sight. Morakot said it did not appear that the object had struck the earth, rather it had travelled almost horizontally. He said some locals felt the object may have been some form of UFO.
"It is strange because after contacting a number of local amateur radio hams, none had learnt of any air crashes in the area" Morakot Areeya.
