Several videos have surfaced on social media showing a spectacular meteor flying through the night sky in Turkey on Saturday, September 2. The meteor left behind magnificent green streaks of light as it passed over Erzurum City and Gumushane Province in the eastern part of the country.
In one mesmerizing video shared on X by Nahel Belgherze, a child can be seen engrossed in playing with balloons as the green meteor streaks past him. The celestial event was so bright that it lit up the entire sky, causing it to glow in an eerie shade of green.
The dazzling light show results from an asteroid or meteoroid entering the Earth’s atmosphere and heating up as it moves through. The phenomenon is commonly known as a “shooting star” or a fireball and is sometimes referred to as a bolide. According to NASA, A meteoroid ranges in size from a dust grain to a small asteroid.
As a meteor travels through the atmosphere, it compresses a cushion of air ahead of it. This squeezes the molecules in that air pillow so much that they heat up and then release packets of energy — or photons — that cause it to glow. That glowing can appear as a trail that fades as the meteoroid burns up in our planet’s atmosphere.
A meteoroid can also emit colors as it enters the atmosphere, depending on its chemical composition. For example, nickel meteoroids can produce reddish-orange or yellow streaks, while those that contain iron may appear blue or green.
Regardless of the color, a meteor is always impressive to witness. The Perseid meteor, seen during the annual Perseid meteor shower in August and September, was also spotted lighting up the skies over California in early October, sparking speculations that it could be a rare green color.
Another unique phenomenon witnessed this week is a saucer-shaped cloud floating over Bursa in Turkey. The lenticular cloud is often draped over or hovering near mountain tops and ridges. The lens-like formations are formed when the layer of air is on the cusp of saturation. As the air rises over the mountains, it cools and condenses to create clouds, while on the downward slope, the clouds start forming waves that form troughs and ridges.
Spectacular sights like these are a great reminder of how incredible our universe is and why it is worth looking up occasionally. For more stories of awe-inspiring moments, check out Memories, our new home for all your memories that are automatically curated and organized with the help of AI. It’s rolling out now in the US and will be available globally in the coming months. You can access it from the bottom menu of the Photos app or at this link.