The meteorite exploded above the erupting volcano

Theo Vice, meteorite explodes at 10:33 p.m. on May 25 (9:33 p.m., same date and time in Hanoi). Initial reports suggested the meteorite could have landed on the slopes of the volcano, however, experts confirmed this did not happen.

Live-streamed footage of the erupting Mayon volcano captured the meteor’s flash of light that lasted more than a second. According to the Smithsonian Institution’s Global Volcanology Program, Mayon volcano, 2,463 meters above sea level, began erupting in early January. Black-and-white video from the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) shows a streak of light appearing near the summit, illuminated by hot lava. Another video on afarTV channel revealed the red glow of flowing lava and the green glow of a meteorite.

Theo Live Scienceafter reviewing seismic data, infrasound and additional images from multiple cameras around the volcano, PHIVOLCS concluded the meteorite broke up in the atmosphere and did not fall on the slopes of Mayon volcano.

The Philippine Information Agency cited some estimates that if the meteorite fell on Mayon immediately after glowing, it could cause an impact force equivalent to 6,800 tons of explosives, creating a rockslide large enough to be detected by earthquake sensors around the volcano.

The meteorite glows in the form of a fireball as a result when the asteroid passes through the Earth’s atmosphere and burns up due to friction with the air. The Philippine Space Agency explains that when meteorites rush through the atmosphere at extremely fast speeds, friction causes them to heat up to the point of vaporization. High temperatures also ionize surrounding air molecules, forming meteor-like streaks of light at altitudes of 60 – 100 km. Similar previous observations suggested that the green color of the fireball may be due to the asteroid’s high nickel content.

Scientists estimate that millions of meteorites enter Earth’s atmosphere each year, but fewer than 10,000 of them survive friction with the air at high speeds and eventually land on the ground, rivers, lakes or oceans.