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Published 20:47 IST, May 29th 2021

Meteor falls from sky and crashes into Indonesian volcano, watch spectacular video

Creating one of the most spectacular and surreal scenes in recent times, a blazing meteorite unexpectedly fell from the sky and crashed into Merapi volcano.

Reported by: Riya Baibhawi
Image: gunarto_song/Instagram  | Image: self

Creating one of the most spectacular and surreal scenes in recent times, a blazing meteorite unexpectedly fell from the sky and crashed into Indonesia’s Mount Merapi volcano. The historical event occurred on May 27, when it was caught on a CCTV camera at Megadata facility in Kalitengah Kidul, Jogjakarta which is where the mountain is located. Luckily, at the same time, a local Indonesian identified as Gunarto Song was also taking photos of Mount Merapi volcano and caught the meteor in all its glory.

Speaking to Indonesian Media outlet Kumparan later, he said that he took the photos from a location in Batu Alien in the Kaliadem Cangkringan district last Thursday. Explaining his venture, he said that he was all prepped to capture the mountain amidst a backdrop of full moon when he saw the meteor crashing and ed it. “Suddenly there was a bright ray of light as if falling from above onto the top of Merapi volcano,” Terming the whole event as “super bright and fast:, he aplained that he took at 4 seconds exposure when he shot it.

Meteor shower in the Caribbean 

A few weeks ago, a meteor in Santiago de Cuba that streaked across the night sky exploded, creating boom sounds as it entered the Earth’s atmosphere, residents and eyewitnesses reported. According to Cuba’s National Centre for Seismological Research (CENAIS), the event turned the sky into a shade of crimson, as the explosion sent shockwaves and lightning across the horizon. 

In February, several meteorites streaked across the sky in western Cuba during the broad daylight, a phenomenon which was also recorded by the observers in the Florida Keys, and from Viñales, a town in Pinar del Río, Cuba, according to several local reports. The event created ripples among the astrophile as it occurred at about  1:16 – 1:17 p.m. EST on Feb.1.

Residents of Viñales, Cuba reported seeing a long “smoke trail” in the sky, while some others claimed that they saw a meteor, in orange white colour that lit bright, appeared in the sky for at least 4 seconds. Astronomers of the Institute of Physics of the University of Antioquia later confirmed the meteor’s trajectory from south-southwest of Cuba to the north. 

Image: gunarto_song/Instagram 

Updated 20:47 IST, May 29th 2021

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