A meteor explosion has made waves in the scientific community, thanks to a team on the International Space Station (ISS). For the first time ever, we’ve got stunning footage of a meteor exploding over the North Pacific Ocean. This historic event was recorded using SEN’s 4K Space-TV-1 camera system in November 2025.
Meteors are common sights from Earth, with numerous meteor showers lighting up our night sky each year. However, this dramatic footage gives us a unique view, capturing the spectacle that most people miss completely.
What’s a Bolide?
The meteor that lit up the sky is a specific type called a bolide. Bolides are massive meteors that burn bright as they enter the Earth’s atmosphere, often creating flashes and even sonic booms. According to the Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS), these meteor explosions happen due to their incredible speed. As they rush through the atmosphere, they heat up and compress the air in front of them, causing them to fragment in an eye-catching display.
The explosion lasted just a few seconds, leaving a colorful burst of purple and white—truly a fleeting yet spectacular moment. This rapid disintegration is what makes bolides so bright, giving us a captivating show from space.
Advanced Space Cameras
The amazing footage came from SEN’s advanced camera system on the ISS, which is capable of streaming live, ultra-high-definition video. It recorded the event from about 408 kilometers above Earth. These high-tech cameras have been used to document other significant occurrences, like a solar eclipse and the recent Hurricane Milton.
SEN’s cameras provide over 20 hours of live footage each day, only pausing for brief moments of signal loss. You can catch this incredible stream on the SEN YouTube channel and their website, offering a view into both Earth and outer space.
Observing Meteor Events
Most meteors go unnoticed, either burning out too quickly or occurring out of sight. However, advanced technology like what’s installed on the ISS allows us to witness these cosmic events in real-time. The excitement is palpable across social media, with many users buzzing about the eye-catching purple hue of the bolide. One user on Reddit even remarked that the bolides they’ve seen were typically green, making this purple variation particularly striking.
A New Perspective
The capture of this meteor explosion marks a new chapter in celestial observation. It’s not just about seeing the night sky differently; it’s about harnessing technology to expand our understanding of space events. As more people tune in, the interest in astronomy and space science continues to grow, inspiring future generations to explore the universe.
Impressive, easy-to-digest footage combined with contributions from cameras in space means we’re only beginning to scratch the surface of what we can learn about our cosmic neighborhood.
To delve deeper into meteor science, check resources from the NASA Meteor Watch Program.
Enjoy the show as we continue to explore the mysteries above!
