Meteor Shower Or Space Debris? Delhi-NCR Puzzled After Spotting Fiery Streak

Cosmic Spectacle Dazzles Delhi-NCR Skies: Meteor or Space Debris?

The brilliant celestial phenomenon occurred around 1:20 am.

New Delhi:

Shortly after midnight, residents across Delhi-NCR, including some returning from late work shifts, witnessed an extraordinary cosmic display. A luminous meteor blazed through the sky, captivating onlookers while simultaneously leaving them puzzled about whether they had observed a genuine meteor shower or falling space debris.

Social media began buzzing early Saturday with videos capturing the meteor's journey through the night sky, trailing a bright, glowing path behind it. The object subsequently fragmented into multiple smaller pieces, each emanating light as they descended, creating what appeared to be scattered luminous points across the darkness.

Though the spectacular display lasted only momentarily, witnesses reported that its brilliance outshone urban lighting, describing it as a once-in-a-lifetime observation.

This celestial event occurred approximately at 1:20 am and was visible throughout Delhi, Noida, Ghaziabad, Gurgaon, and extended as far as Aligarh.

While numerous observers identified it as a meteor shower, an inquiry to AI assistant Grok yielded a different explanation. When asked if the sighting in Delhi was "a Bolide," the AI responded: "It looks like the bright streak over New Delhi was likely space debris from a Chinese CZ-3B rocket body reentering the atmosphere, based on predictions and video characteristics like slow speed and fragmentation." The AI added, "Some experts call it a bolide, but evidence leans toward debris. Official confirmation may come soon."

Regardless of its precise nature, footage of "one of the brightest meteors" quickly went viral, with some viewers comparing it to a "shooting star explosion."

"New Delhi witnessed a spectacular celestial event on Friday night when bright debris lit up the skies, leaving residents in awe and sparking a wave of excitement online," stated one social media post.

Another observer shared, "Just witnessed this incredible fire streak in the night sky. Looks like a meteor or maybe part of a rocket burning up in the atmosphere, nature's own light show from my rooftop."

"I was coming a while ago from my office with one of my colleagues and around 1:25 am we saw a meteor shower above the Delhi sky. We stopped the scooty and started recording this, not sure if it's a meteor shower or something else," recounted another witness.

The American Meteor Society observed that the trail resembled a Perseid meteor, typically visible in mid-August during the annual Perseid shower.