Nine News has deleted a report claiming a bright streak in the sky above Melbourne was a meteor, after an astronomer said it was clearly an airplane contrail.
The segment on the Today show featured video of a bright light, with newsreader Lizzie Pearl saying it was "leaving locals scratching their heads" and speculating whether it was space junk or the Lyrid meteor shower.
The footage was also published on the Age and Sydney Morning Herald websites under the headline "Meteor lights up Melbourne sky".
Observational astronomer Michael Brown from Monash University said the video had been circulating on social media as a meteor sighting, but it was clearly an aircraft contrail. He said it could have been debunked if Nine had contacted an astronomer, but this did not happen.
After inquiries, Nine removed the videos from all three websites. A spokesperson said: "Thanks for flagging this. The story has been taken down." The incident comes as the 12-year anniversary of the Australian Financial Review's notorious "WORLD IS FUKT" headline approaches.
