Space guest: Ukrainians witnessed a meteorite flyby (video)
On the night of April 30 to May 1, residents of several regions of Ukraine saw a powerful blue flash in the sky. Most likely, it was a meteor that exploded in the upper atmosphere.
A bright flash in the sky
At 1:15:17 a.m. on May 1, residents of Kharkiv, Poltava, Sumy, Dnipro, and Zaporizhzhia regions saw a flash of blue light. In some places, it was so strong that it illuminated the entire sky.
Soon, videos began to be posted on social media showing something falling high in the sky and then exploding. The flash is silent. This indicates that the incident occurred at a high altitude.
According to experts, in this case, the cause of the explosion was not Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, but a celestial phenomenon. A space rock that had been traveling through the solar system for millions of years entered the Earth’s atmosphere, overheated due to friction in the upper atmosphere, and caused a phenomenon known as a meteor.
It was a meteor
This is not the first time since Russia’s large-scale invasion that a meteor has fallen over Ukraine. The last time it happened was on April 19, 2023. Then a bright trail of fire and a flash were seen over the Kyiv region, causing numerous disputes about whether it was a flying saucer shot down by Kyiv air defense.
This time, according to preliminary data, the meteor was created by a 2-3 meter diameter stone that entered the Earth’s atmosphere over the eastern regions of Ukraine. Whether any of its fragments reached the Earth’s surface is currently unknown, as is the exact area over which the explosion occurred.
Anyone who has witnessed this rare celestial phenomenon is encouraged to submit a report to the International Meteor Organization’s website. This is the only easy way to quickly find out the approximate ground trajectory of a meteor. You can do this by following the link
How often do meteorites fall?
It is believed that 5-6 tons of meteorites fall per day, or 2000 tons per year.
Small solid celestial bodies moving in outer space are called meteoroids. When such a body enters the atmosphere and leaves a visible trail, it is called a meteor. And when the body falls to the ground, it is a meteorite.
