Astronomical phenomena have the ability to surprise us with their spectacularity, such as the first supermoon of 2025. However, while there are some that are scientifically predicted, there are also unexpected but equally beautiful events that make the sky shine even brighter, such as the meteor spotted over the Iberian Peninsula on Sunday (November 2) at 19:40.
Various websites specializing in meteorology and astronomical observation, such as Lusa Meteo, Meteo Trás-os-Montes and the Bolide and Meteorite Research Network (in Spain) shared various videos and images of the meteor. The brightness was so intense that it even overshadowed the moon itself.
Quoted byEuronews, the SMART project (which monitors this type of phenomenon in the Iberian Peninsula and is coordinated by the Astrophysics Institute of Andalusia) shared a video on YouTube explaining the meteor sighting in Portugal and Spain:
The event was generated by a rock (a meteoroid) coming from a comet, which entered the atmosphere at around 81,000 kilometers per hour. The fireball flew over Portugal. It began at an altitude of approximately 97 kilometers over Lousã (Castelo Branco district), moved northwest and ended about 43 kilometers over Amiozinho (Coimbra district).”
Flash shared on social media
The sighting of the meteor in Portugal and Spain was recorded in various images and videos shared on social media.
For example, a post on the Luso Meteo page shows a giant, bright flash captured by a webcam installed in Marinha Grande.
However, the reports extend from places like Santarém, Aveiro, Figueira da Foz to Cáceres and Seville (both in Spain).
This is not the first time that Portugal has been surprised by the sighting of a meteor, so we remember the superbolide of May 19, 2024.
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