What Was the Meteorite ?
The European Space Agency (ESA) reported that the meteor appeared to be a chunk of a comet that broke off and skimmed across Earth’s atmosphere at an altitude of about 35 miles. The ESA estimated the meteor’s speed at approximately 1,700 mph.
The meteor was likely between 8 to 12 inches in diameter, according to astronomer Josep María Trigo, who spoke to Spain’s El Pais newspaper. Portugal’s Civil Protection Agency initially posted about a “meteorite fall” in the Castro Daire area but later retracted the statement. The ESA has indicated that it was unlikely any pieces of the meteor made it to Earth.
Social Media Reaction and Videos
Authorities received reports of an object falling from the sky in Viseu, central Portugal, about 200 miles north of Lisbon. However, they could not locate a possible crash site or determine whether any part of the meteor hit the ground, according to the Portuguese newspaper Publico.
The event sparked significant interest on social media, with numerous videos and images shared online. One video, seemingly recorded from a driver’s dash-cam and shared on X (formerly Twitter), showed a clear view of the blazing blue light streaking across the sky. Another clip showed a woman walking with her camera pointing toward the sky when the area around her brightened in a blue tint, causing her to stop in her tracks. A third video captured a crowd in complete disbelief as the streak of blue flew over their heads.
Scientific Insights
According to NASA, if a meteoroid enters Earth’s atmosphere or that of another planet, like Mars, it builds up a significant amount of speed and begins to burn up, appearing as a fireball. Meteorites are fragments of space rocks traveling around the universe and can sometimes pass through the Earth’s atmosphere and hit the planet’s surface. Most meteorites originate from asteroids, which are rocky bodies in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, while others can come from comets. The ESA noted that the object seen over Spain was likely a comet fragment.
Early analysis suggested that the meteor came from an icy comet, hence its startling light-blue color. The ESA estimated that it traveled over Spain and Portugal at approximately 45 km/s (25 miles per second) before burning up over the Atlantic Ocean at an altitude of around 60 km (37 miles). Scientists did not have any indication that the fragment of rock was heading toward Earth until it was seen lighting up the planet’s atmosphere over Spain at around 10:45 pm local time.
The blue hue of the meteor in the sky is likely caused by the interaction of the icy cometary material (most likely Magenesium) with charged particles from the Sun, as well as the Earth’s atmosphere. The bright green fireball, seen by many across the region, stunned social media users, who took to platforms like X, Facebook, and Reddit to share their amazement and disbelief.
Prof Jose Maria Madiedo, an astronomer at the Institute of Astrophysics of Andalusia, led the ground work to determine from several fireball-spotting cameras that the space rock had ended its journey over the ocean. This ratified the ESA’s Planetary Defence Office assessment that the object was of cometary origin.
What Happens to Meteoroids When They Reach Earth ?
“Shooting stars” like this are pieces of material that break away from larger bodies like asteroids, comets, the moon, or even other planets and enter Earth’s atmosphere at high speeds. The friction these fragments, called meteoroids (the name given to them when they are in space), encounter causes them to glow brightly, becoming meteors for a few brief seconds as they streak through the atmosphere, creating a glowing trail.
Around 90% to 95% of interstellar matter that makes its way to Earth this way doesn’t last long enough to make it to the ground. If a meteoroid does make it to the ground, it is usually in the form of dust or very small particles and it is called a meteorite.
The eruption of this fireball over Portugal and Spain is set to keep meteorite hunters busy for the coming days as they search for fragments that could have reached the ground. Although the ESA has indicated the possibility of any material making it to the surface is slim, the event has captivated millions and sparked widespread interest and excitement.
This spectacular meteor event serves as a reminder of the dynamic and ever-changing nature of our universe, bringing a moment of wonder and awe to all who witnessed it.
