Brilliant-green fireball meteor explodes over erupting volcano in the Philippines
Live Science • • world
Key Points:
- Stunning footage captured a bright-green "fireball" meteor exploding above the erupting Mount Mayon volcano in the Philippines on May 25, creating a rare visual display of fire in the sky.
- Initial reports by PHIVOLCS mistakenly suggested the meteor struck the volcano's slopes, but further analysis confirmed the meteor disintegrated in the atmosphere without impacting the mountain.
- The fireball's green color is likely due to a high concentration of nickel in the asteroid, and the meteor's explosion occurred at an altitude of 37 to 62 miles above Earth.
- If the meteor had struck Mount Mayon, it could have caused an explosion equivalent to 7,500 tons of dynamite and triggered detectable rockfalls, but no such seismic activity was recorded.
- Fireball meteors occur when asteroids burn up from atmospheric friction, sometimes leaving meteorites that provide valuable scientific insights into the solar system's formation.