Massive fireball over Puerto Rico

An asteroid up to 5 m (16.4 feet) in diameter exploded over Puerto Rico at 03:28 UTC on July 28, 2022, creating a spectacular display seen across the entire island.

According to the Caribbean Astronomical Society (SAC), eyewitness reports confirm it was visible from the entire island.

Preliminary analysis of the event mentions the size of the object between 1 and 5 m (3.3 to 16.4 feet) in diameter. The colors this object was emitting suggest it was a space rock with sodium among other materials, similar to the one that exploded over Chelyabinsk, Russia in February 2013.¹

“The detection of the meteor by the GOES-16 satellite suggests that the explosion when it hit the atmosphere occurred some 32 – 40 km (20 – 25 miles) north of the town of Quebradillas, over the waters of the Atlantic Ocean,” said Eddie Irizarry, scientific communicator for the SAC.

#AlMinuto 5.2 a 50 kms de Playa Jiquilillo #Nicaragua. /
*Desintegra meteorito en #PuertoRico a las 11:27 PM mier.27 Jul 22 / En días pasados Texas y Argentina
*Desechos del cohete #Chino Gran Marcha 5B se encuentran a la deriva en el órbita podrían caer sobre la tierra. pic.twitter.com/wCmX3ZZKWB

— Buro Internacional de Prensa (@BipPress) July 28, 2022

(1/2) Brillante meteoro captado en Puerto Rico las 11:28pm. Videos: JQ PhotoXtreme y Marcano Tyl Ocasio @zamiratv @adamonzon @DeborahTiempo @nelsonastrofoto pic.twitter.com/jdVjQ4xffk

— Dayron Pérez (@DayronPerezWx) July 28, 2022

(3/3) Por Roberto Padilla. #meteoro #puertorico pic.twitter.com/xX86LuEHHi

— Dayron Pérez (@DayronPerezWx) July 28, 2022

References:

¹ Huge Meteor over Puerto Rico 7/27/2022 (SAC) – Kevin Zooropa

Featured image credit: SAC