U.S. Astronaut Matthew Dominick shared incredible video of a meteor entering the Earth’s atmosphere and causing a bright green flash high above North Africa.
HOUSTON – A U.S. astronaut aboard the International Space Station recently captured an incredible video of a meteor exploding through the Earth’s atmosphere high above North Africa.
Astronaut Matthew Dominick shared the video in a post on X, formerly Twitter, and said he showed the out-of-this-world footage to some friends to get a better understanding as to what exactly took place.
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This animated image shows the bright green flash of a meteor entering the Earths atmosphere above North Africa.
(@dominickmatthew/X)
“They both thought it was a meteor exploding in the atmosphere,” Dominick said on X. “A rather bright one called a bolide.”
A bolide, according to NASA’s Center for Near Earth Object Studies (CNEOS), is an astronomical term that’s used for “exceptionally bright meteors that are spectacular enough to be seen over a very wide area.”
Dominick shared two videos of the rare sight – one that was slowed down to one frame per second, and a second time-lapse that captured a quick flash of light as the meteor sliced through the atmosphere.
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The videos provided a view of Earth from above while the ISS zoomed over North Africa. And just after the ISS passed above Cairo, Egypt, the bright green flash of the meteor could be seen.
Dominick launched to the ISS back in March and has conducted numerous science experiments while in space. He’s also shared numerous spectacular photos and videos of what he’s seen during his time onboard the ISS.