From his vantage point in space, NASA astronaut Matthew Dominick witnessed a truly breathtaking sight: a meteor exploding in the Earth’s atmosphere, creating a brilliant green burst over the night sky. Dominick, commander of the SpaceX Crew-8 mission, was capturing a time-lapse of photos from the International Space Station as it passed over Cairo, Egypt, when he caught the fleeting spectacle.
Dominick, aiming to photograph the Milky Way’s Core, initially didn’t realize the significance of the bright green fireball he captured on Monday, September 2nd, at 8:12 p.m. EDT (2012 GMT). He later shared the time-lapse on X (formerly Twitter), revealing the mesmerizing event.
The meteor, officially classified as a bolide, was a large meteor that exploded in the Earth’s atmosphere with enough force to create a sonic boom. These bright meteors can last for several seconds, or even minutes, and their intense glow can outshine the stars and moon, painting the night sky in a mesmerizing display of light.
Dominick, intrigued by the event, slowed down the time-lapse to one frame per second, offering a detailed view of the meteor streaking across the sky and then exploding in a brilliant flash. In the comments section, he also shared a faster version of the time-lapse, where the meteor appeared as a fleeting flash in the top right corner of the frame.
The timelapse consists of 20 individual images taken from the Cupola module of the International Space Station, offering a unique perspective of the Earth and its atmosphere. “I think it is interesting to compare the size of the bolide blast to other objects in view like the Mediterranean, Cairo, or lightning strikes,” Dominick commented, highlighting the incredible scale of the meteor’s explosion.
Dominick has become known for his stunning photographs captured during his stay aboard the ISS. He has previously shared images of auroras, other exploding meteors, and breathtaking views of Earth from space. This latest capture, however, is particularly captivating, showcasing the awe-inspiring power and beauty of celestial events witnessed from the unique perspective of space.
