Bright green fireball over Turkey

A very bright fireball streaked through the night sky over several cities in Turkey on July 5, 2024. The object was burning long enough to change color from bright green to bright blue.

A very bright meteor was observed on the night of July 5 in Turkey, as confirmed by the Turkish Space Agency in a post on X.

The meteor burned with a bright green flash across the sky in the cities of Safranbolu and Kastamonu, and was also visible from the cities of Ankara and Istanbul.

Some experts argued that it might not have been a meteor, but rather space debris.

“Upon initial observation, the images do not resemble a meteor. The speed of the object entering the atmosphere appears relatively low. Meteors typically enter the atmosphere at much higher speeds, ranging from a minimum of 40 000 km/h (25 000 mph) to as much as 260 000 km/h (162 000 mph). The object in the images appears to be moving much slower. There is a possibility it is a piece of space debris,” said Associate Professor Mesut Yılmaz, the director of the Ankara University Kreiken Observatory.

“If it were a meteor, its impact would undoubtedly be felt. A significant crater, an explosion, a forest fire if it fell in a wooded area, or a minor tsunami if it fell into the sea would be inevitable. The impact of such an explosion would be unmistakable,” he added.

References:

¹ Meteor Flashes Across Night Sky in Northern Turkey – Firstpost – July 10, 2024

² Light beams over Türkiye attributed to meteor, space debris – Daily News – July 8, 2024

Featured image credit: M. Ilkaz (stillshot)