Stunning Fireball Lights Up Skies Over China – What Was That Shining Flash?
(Image: A captivating still from one of the dashcam videos showing the fireball streaking across the sky, ideally with vibrant colors. Alt text: A brilliant fireball illuminates the night sky over Maoming, China.)
Maoming, China – Residents of Maoming City were treated to a spectacular, albeit startling, display earlier this week as a brilliant fireball blazed across the night sky. Dashcam footage circulating online captured the event, showing a vibrant streak of light that captivated onlookers before disappearing in a dazzling flare.
The celestial event occurred at 9:33 p.m. local time on May 28th over the Guangdong province, and quickly spread across social media. Videos show the meteor’s dramatic five-second journey, transitioning from a pale green-blue to an intense orange-yellow hue. Experts believe this was likely a bolide, a especially bright and dramatic meteor that fragments as it burns up in the atmosphere.
what is a Fireball?
A fireball isn’t just a pretty sight – it’s a sign of a relatively large meteoroid entering Earth’s atmosphere. Anything over 1 millimeter in diameter can create a fireball,generating a fleeting flash of light that can even outshine planets!
The mesmerizing colors we see are resolute by a complex interplay of factors,including the meteor’s speed,its chemical composition,and how it compresses the air around it,according to the American Meteor Society.
Why the different Colors?
the fiery spectacle isn’t just one color. The shades we observe reveal clues about the meteor’s makeup and velocity. Reddish flashes: These frequently enough occur when meteors slam into the atmosphere at incredibly high speeds – tens of thousands of miles per hour! This compression causes atmospheric nitrogen and oxygen atoms to glow a vibrant red.
Orange-yellow light: Meteors rich in sodium tend to burn with this warmer hue.
[According to NASA](https://leon
