A mysterious fireball spotted in the sky of Thailand

The photo of a strange fireball illuminating the sky in Thailand on Monday, March 4, sparked debate about its origin on social media.

Citing a statement from Jonathan McDowell, an American space expert, the Thai Astronomical Society's Facebook page indicated that the blazing object, visible in several regions in the center of the country, was identified as a large meteor.

The association also mentioned that another possibility is that the fireball is debris from a spacecraft, a satellite, or parts of a rocket re-entering the Earth's atmosphere.

Verification of this last case can be done by checking the launch records of rockets or re-entry logs kept by space agencies.

However, preliminary checks revealed no activity of this type in the region.

The International Astronomy and Astrophysics Olympiad at Chulalongkorn University also supports the theory that the object was an iron meteorite or a meteor falling into the atmosphere, appearing green due to its magnesium content.

The center explained that the speed at which a meteor enters the Earth's atmosphere affects its color, the faster it moves, the more intense its color is.

Similarly, the National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand explained that meteors are caused by the gravitational pull of the Earth on rocks and dust from comets or asteroids, resulting in combustion in the atmosphere.

This process causes the atoms in the meteor to emit light at different wavelengths, which makes us see different colors depending on the chemical composition and surrounding air molecules.

See also:

Mysterious explosion and green light in the sky of northern Thailand

A strange luminous object crossed the sky of Thailand

Astro-Tourism Guide in Thailand

Source: National News Bureau of Thailand