KARACHI: A huge fireball meteor appeared over Karachi’s skyline on January 29 which stargazers caught on camera.
As a video of the meteor went viral on social media, it left netizens amused and puzzled as to what the phenomenon meant. According to social media users, they saw a “fast-moving, colourful object” in the sky on Saturday evening at around 7:15pm.
Speaking to Geo.tv, weather expert Jawad Memon — who owns the popular Facebook page “Weather Updates PK” — said that many people on his page have been posting about witnessing a “huge fireball” on the sky in Karachi as well as other parts of Sindh. Many people also reported hearing the sound of an explosion in the sky accompanying the shiny object.
“Basically, these shiny objects, called meteoroids (rocks from space), travel towards the Earth quite often. They are quite small in size, and when they enter the Earth’s gravitational field, they burn up to form a shooting star,” he said.
‘Shooting stars’
Memon explained that since these meteors are coming from space, they accompany different types of gases and chemicals.
“When they enter the Earth’s gravitational field, the ensuing friction —together with the presence of gases and chemicals — burn them up,” he said.
As these meteors burn, they often project colourful lights, ranging from blue, green, yellow, or orange.
