Blazing blue streak spotted in skies over Spain and Portugal was a comet fragment

A fireball ripped through the night sky over Spain and Portugal this weekend, leaving a trail of dazzling blue light and a wave of stunned skygazers in its wake. Videos capturing the cosmic spectacle flooded social media, sparking a frenzy of speculation about what had just streaked across the heavens. The European Space Agency (ESA) has now confirmed that the mysterious object was likely a cosmic crumb - a small fragment from a comet.

"It appears that this object was a small piece of a comet. The likelihood of any meteorites being found is very low," the agency tweeted. The agency also shared a video of the spectacular event, showcasing the burst of blue light streaking across the night sky.

ESA's Planetary Defence Office analysed the size and trajectory of the object to assess the chance that any material made it to the surface. They estimate that the object flew over Spain and Portugal travelling at a speed of approximately 45 kilometres per second (28 miles per second) before burning up over the Atlantic Ocean at an altitude of nearly 60 km.

🌠 Fireball update!It appears that this object was a small piece of a comet.We estimate that it flew over Spain and Portugal travelling at ~45 km/s before burning up over the Atlantic Ocean at an altitude of ~60 km.The likelihood of any meteorites being found is very low. https://t.co/OZdo37QsFX

— ESA Operations (@esaoperations) May 19, 2024

ESA's Planetary Defence Office keeps a constant eye on Near-Earth Objects (NEOs) - asteroids and comets whose orbits bring them relatively close to Earth's path around the Sun. While most NEOs pose no danger, some larger ones could potentially collide with our planet, causing catastrophic devastation.

While the comet in question posed no threat, it highlights the importance of the agency's ongoing mission to safeguard our planet from potentially catastrophic cosmic collisions.