Saturday April 24 at around 10:30 p.m., a luminous ball crossed the sky. A phenomenon that is not uncommon at this time of year.
A luminous ball, of a green color, followed by an orange trail. This is what many people could see in the sky around 10:30 p.m. on Saturday night. Impressive in size, the fireball did not fail to react on social networks.
View across the South of France
And for good reason, it has been observed throughout the south of France, since testimonies flow from the Pyrenees to Lyon, via the Côte d'Azur. In Montpellier, too, the phenomenon was perfectly visible.
A video, captured by a camera in the city of Cannes, visible below, perfectly shows the passage of this meteor and testifies to its luminous intensity.
A meteor rather than a meteorite?
According to Météo Gard-Hérault, which also relays the video of the phenomenon observed from Cannes, it would rather be a meteor than a meteorite, the difference being that the first does not touch the ground, unlike the second.
And given the time of year, there's no doubt that this fireball is actually a meteor. Indeed, Nasa released Thursday, April 22 a statement reminding that we are in the middle of the period called "Lyrides of April". A time of the year, from April 16 to 25, particularly favorable to the observation of meteor showers.
Up to 20 meteors per hour
NASA therefore recommends rolling your eyes during this time of year, so as not to miss anything of the celestial spectacle which can be striking, according to the description made by the space agency.
"The number of meteors can vary and very rarely reach so-called 'storm' frequency levels, but on a very dark and moonless night, a very lucky and pointed observer can see 10 to 20 meteors per hour," the statement said.
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