After exhausting delays and difficulties handling the camels, Becker was still walking with the camels late one night when he saw this meteor at 10.35pm on 11 October 1860. His notes describe its path across the sky and its size.

He wrote "... suddenly the whole firmament and the country underneath it was lit up by a day-like light: a splendid meteor fell in the west. I was fortunate enough to get a full sight of it from its beginning to the end …"

See Beckers Fifth report at Burke and Wills Web

Further Information

1860. Meteor seen by me on Oct. 11t at 10h 35m p.m. at the river Darling, 25 miles N. of Macpherson’s’ station, in Lat: 33, S. It made its appearance in a bright part of the milky way near the tail of Scorpio, to the right of it, but, to the left of the Ecliptic; it commenced small but grew in the time of 11/2 second to 7 inches, the moon taken to 12. Green color; after disappearance red sparks.

L. Becker.