On September 2, a mesmerizing fireball lit up Turkey's night sky, leaving vivid green trails. Social media videos captured this spectacular event as it unfolded over Erzurum City and Gumushane Province.
One video shows a car on a quiet road witnessing the meteor's green glow, which intensified as it neared, turning into bursts of brilliance before fading into darkness.
Vibrant Green Fireball Lights Up Turkish Skies; Mesmerizing Video Captures the Fiery Streak
Turkish Skies Turned Green As the Meteor Travels Through the Clouds
Numerous eyewitnesses captured astonishing visuals as a meteor streaked through the sky, igniting it with mesmerizing bursts of green light. One striking video, posted by Nahel Belgherze on X, portrays a child playing with a balloon against a cloudy backdrop when the meteor abruptly darts across the sky.
The meteor then bursts into a brilliant sphere of light, revealing the contours of the surrounding clouds. In a fleeting moment, it disappears, returning the sky to its familiar darkness. These eerie videos were recorded as the meteor traversed the skies above Erzurum City and Gumushane Province in eastern Turkey during the previous night.
Despite the compelling footage, authorities have yet to offer an official explanation regarding the object's origin. This celestial event unfolded shortly after the Perseid meteor shower, which graced the skies between July 17 and August 19.
Similar phenomena have made headlines elsewhere, such as in Colorado, where a massive fireball illuminated the night sky. This spectacle occurred at approximately 3:30 a.m., witnessed by only a handful of people awake at that hour. Many residents shared their doorbell and security camera footage, documenting the celestial event's breathtaking display in the heavens.
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How Meteors Burn to Become Fireballs
As per the American Meteor Society (AMS), fireballs are meteors that shine brighter than Venus and can, theoretically, be seen during the day. Their remarkable brightness stems from their substantial size and high speeds, leading to intense friction upon entry into Earth's atmosphere.
Traveling at speeds well beyond the sound barrier, typically ranging from 25,000 to 160,000 mph (about 40,000 to 257,000 km/h), fireballs can also generate significant sonic booms.
Meteors start glowing when their outer layers are stripped away upon contact with Earth's atmosphere, causing their metallic cores to heat up and burn. The distinctive green hue often comes from the presence of nickel, a common component of a meteor's core, alongside iron.
In the event of a fireball explosion overhead, it can result in substantial damage. The most notable recent incident occurred over Chelyabinsk, Russia, in 2013, causing an explosion equivalent to 400 to 500 kilotons of TNT, or 26 to 33 times the energy of the Hiroshima bomb. This event resulted in falling fireball fragments that damaged buildings, shattered windows, and injured approximately 1,200 people.
However, the Chelyabinsk event is not the most catastrophic fireball occurrence on record. Archaeological findings suggest that around 3,600 years ago, a fireball detonated over the ancient city of Tall el-Hamman in the Middle East. Approximately 1,000 times more powerful than the Hiroshima bomb, it instantly ignited the city and then obliterated it with a devastating shockwave, claiming the lives of all its inhabitants.
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