Spectacular Fireball Illuminates Mexico City: A Sky Phenomenon That Captivated the Internet

Early Wednesday morning, a stunning fireball lit up the sky over Mexico City. Residents watched in awe as the bright object soared through the atmosphere, and videos of the spectacle quickly went viral online.

This dazzling light was a bolide, a type of fireball that explodes in a brilliant flash, sometimes breaking apart. The American Meteor Society explains that these phenomena occur when a space rock enters the Earth’s atmosphere. While meteors are the rocks themselves, bolides refer to the bright bursts we see as they streak by. Dr. Jérôme Gattacceca, editor of The Meteoritical Bulletin, noted that meteors brighter than Venus are classified as fireballs, and while fireballs are fairly common, bolides don’t happen all the time.

Dr. Guadalupe Cordero Tercero, a researcher at UNAM’s Institute of Geophysics, shared a fascinating insight: approximately every two and a half days, an object at least one meter wide enters our atmosphere. Most of these space rocks land in oceans or deserted regions, going unnoticed by the majority of people.

Denton Ebel, a meteorite curator at the American Museum of Natural History, added that sightings like this are gaining attention due to advancements in monitoring technology. More reports are coming in because of networks of cameras placed around cities to catch these events.

After the bolide flashed across the sky, it produced a sonic boom, a sound associated with its fragmentation. Dr. Gattacceca mentioned that this noise often indicates that meteorites made it to the ground, something that excited local skywatchers. According to Dr. Ebel, the sound can resemble a freight train rumbling through.

Meteors originate mostly from the asteroid belt and travel at incredible speeds. Even small rocks can create fireballs due to their velocity. Despite the dramatic nature of these events, Dr. Gattacceca reassured viewers that falling meteorites pose no real danger. In fact, there has never been a recorded death from a meteorite in history.

This recent fireball captivated the attention of more than 22 million people in Mexico City, reminding everyone of the beauty and mystery of our universe. Overall, while these occurrences may seem frightening, they are a natural and non-threatening part of our planet’s relationship with space.



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Meteors and Meteorites,Space and Astronomy,Video Recordings, Downloads and Streaming,Meteoritical Society,Mexico,Mexico City (Mexico)