Exceptionally bright meteor illuminates night sky over Spain and Portugal

An exceptionally bright meteor was seen over Spain and Portugal at 22:46 UTC on May 18, 2024 (00:46 local time, May 19), lighting up the night sky with a bright blue glow for several seconds and leaving a persistent trail in its wake.

Unconfirmed reports indicate that pieces of the meteor fell in the town of Pinheiro and near the town of Castro Daire, approximately 40 km (24 miles) south-southeast of Pinheiro. Both locations are in northern Portugal.

While these reports are plausible, based on the fireball’s trajectory and its angle of entry into the atmosphere, it is likely that most, if not all, pieces ended up in the Atlantic Ocean.

The meteor was described as unreal, massive, and a once-in-a-lifetime event.

According to astrophysicist Dr. Josep M Trigo of CSIC-IEEC, this bolide had a cometary origin and was on a fairly low trajectory that extended over Caceres, Spain to Oporto, Portugal.

This would make the total distance of about 300 km (160 miles).

While small meteors enter Earth’s atmosphere every day, objects as large as this one are seen and recorded over populated areas only once or twice per year.

“That’s crazy! Mad props to the person that was able to get this footage,” one eyewitness wrote on X.

People who witnessed the event are invited to share their observations with the International Meteor Organization (IMO) using this form.

Featured image credit: X (unknown author)