Australian authorities are investigating the origin of at least six metal spheres found on a beach in northern Queensland.

The objects are believed to be space debris, and the Australian Space Agency (ASA) is working to determine their origin.

According to the BBC, teams wearing protective suits were seen placing the spheres into containers for hazardous materials under police guard, due to concerns that they may contain hazardous substances.

A 50-meter exclusion zone has been established around the site. If members of the public find themselves near the spheres, they should not touch them but should call emergency services.

Speculation has circulated online that the spheres are propellant tanks for spacecraft and may therefore contain residues of an extremely flammable or reactive substance.

Mysterious objects have been found on Australian shores on other occasions as well.

In 2023, India confirmed that a giant metal dome that washed up on a beach in Western Australia near Perth came from one of its rockets.

A spherical object similar to those discovered in Queensland was found in a grassland area in Namibia, far from populated areas, in 2011. It was most likely a fuel tank or flexible tank containing hydrazine, a toxic and dangerous rocket propellant.

Source: Proto Thema