Green Fireball Lights Up Turkish Sky, Amazes Witnesses
A mesmerizing sight unfolded in the skies above Turkey as a vibrant green fireball streaked through the atmosphere, leaving witnesses captivated. The stunning event was captured on video by Onur Kaçmaz in the city of Erzurum, and the footage quickly went viral.
Fireballs, which are meteors brighter than Venus, have the potential to be visible even during daylight hours, according to the American Meteor Society (AMS). Their intense brightness stems from their large size and incredible speed, generating significant friction when they enter Earth’s atmosphere. Traveling at speeds ranging from 25,000 to 160,000 mph, fireballs can also produce a tremendous sonic boom.
Meteors begin to glow as their outer layers are peeled back by the heat of Earth’s atmosphere, revealing their superheated metallic cores. The distinct green color of this fireball is due to the presence of nickel, which combines with iron to form the core of most meteors.
While fireballs can create a breathtaking spectacle, they also possess immense destructive power. The most explosive meteor event in recent history occurred in 2013 over Chelyabinsk, Russia, resulting in a blast equivalent to 400 to 500 kilotons of TNT. Fireballs rained down on the city, causing widespread damage to buildings, shattered windows, and leaving approximately 1,200 people injured.
However, the impact of a fireball can be even more catastrophic. Archaeological evidence suggests that approximately 3,600 years ago, a fireball detonated over Tall el-Hamman, an ancient city in the Middle East. The explosion, estimated to be 1,000 times more powerful than the Hiroshima bomb, engulfed the city in flames instantaneously and leveled it with a powerful shockwave, resulting in the loss of all inhabitants.
The awe-inspiring green fireball illuminating the Turkish sky serves as a reminder of the immense power and beauty of these celestial phenomena.
