Fireball lights up WA skies, boom heard

A fireball that lit up Western Australian skies also produced a sonic boom that shook houses, according to observers.

The bright streak on Tuesday night was seen across metropolitan Perth and north-east of the city in Northam and York where locals reported hearing a loud bang that made their house shake.

Perth Observatory's Matt Woods said the phone rang off the hook with calls from people who saw the bright flash in the cloudy sky.

One woman was distressed because she thought it was a plane going down.

Vision of the meteor streaking across the city was posted to social media, much to the delight of researchers.

They are also seeking unedited dashcam and security camera footage that might help them pinpoint where any meteorites landed.

Members of the public are urged to download the Curtin University app Fireballs in the Sky and use it to report sightings.

"If it survived the atmosphere, they'll actually go out and find it," Mr Woods told 6PR radio on Wednesday.