A rare and dazzling meteor lit up the night sky over Delhi-NCR on Friday night, 19 September, leaving residents awestruck. The bright fireball was seen streaking across the sky around 8:45 PM, with clear visibility reported from Delhi, Noida, Gurugram, Ghaziabad, and even distant towns like Aligarh.
The meteor, likely a bolide, which is a large, bright meteor that explodes in the atmosphere, created a glowing trail as it broke apart mid-air. Social media was flooded with videos showing a fiery object illuminating the sky for several seconds before disintegrating.
Astronomers suggest the object burned up completely in the atmosphere, which explains the lack of damage or ground impact. A few people reported hearing a faint rumble, but no sonic boom or debris has been confirmed by authorities. In a moment of awe and shock, people said that it looked like a burning star falling from the sky.
What made this event special was its brightness and the fact that it occurred over a heavily populated area with clear skies, allowing millions to witness the spectacle. While meteors frequently enter Earth’s atmosphere, most go unnoticed as they burn up quickly or occur over remote areas.
Experts suggested that the meteor fit the characteristics of a textbook bolide, exceptionally bright, breaking apart mid-air, and visible across a wide area. Such events are a rare spectacle, especially for those living in urban environments.
The event quickly went viral online, with hashtags like #MeteorInDelhi and #FireballInSky trending across platforms. While some initially speculated it might be satellite debris or a UFO, experts quickly confirmed it was a natural space object.
No official statement has been released by ISRO yet, but scientists are expected to study the meteor’s trajectory and origin using video and atmospheric data.
For many in Delhi-NCR, the brief flash of cosmic brilliance served as a reminder of the mysteries beyond our world and the rare beauty of the universe on full display, even above the busy lights of a city.
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