A celestial event in Spain and Portugal has left people awestruck after they witnessed a blue meteor streaked across the skies, leaving a blazing effect in the atmosphere. The fiery spectacle left onlookers awestruck, and the internet quickly buzzed with videos capturing the event.
The meteor's path illuminated the night sky, and its fiery trail sparked speculation about its landing site. Some reports suggested it might have fallen near Castro Daire, while others pointed towards Pinheiro. Despite searches by firefighters following eyewitness accounts, no debris or impact crater has been located so far.
Social media erupted with reactions to the dazzling display. Users marveled at the meteor's brightness and some even compared its color to burning magnesium. The rarity of such events, especially compared to more common celestial phenomena like auroras and eclipses, added to the awe.
''Wow, this was impressive, so bright! From the colour it seems to be made of magnesium,'' another commented. A third user wrote, ''Same month as the aurora borealis. Why are all these once-in-a-lifetime events happening so close to each other? Makes you wonder if the solar eclipse was a warning.''
“Same month as the Aurora borealis. Why are all these once-in-a-lifetime events happening so close to each other? Makes you wonder if the solar eclipse was a warning,” said one of the users on X. “While this is a meteor, a more accurate description is the word Bolide. I don’t get to say bolide very often.
NASA, the American space agency, explains that these celestial visitors, known as meteoroids or "space rocks," range in size from tiny dust particles to small asteroids. When they enter Earth's atmosphere at high speeds, they burn up, creating the dazzling phenomenon we call meteors.
Is it a part of Meteor Shower?
As per NASA, a staggering 44,000 kilograms of space rocks, or meteoroids, bombard Earth's atmosphere daily. This material usually burns up entirely, creating the familiar streaks of light known as "shooting stars." You can typically spot several meteors per hour on any given night, but sometimes the rate intensifies dramatically – these are meteor showers.
These showers occur regularly, often annually, as Earth ploughs through the dusty trails left behind by comets. They're usually named after the constellation where they appear to originate in the sky. The Perseids, peaking in August each year, are perhaps the most famous example. Each Perseid meteor is a tiny fragment from Comet Swift-Tuttle, which orbits the Sun every 135 years.
