Video: Spectacular coincidence gives appearance Geminid meteor exploded in Puerto Rico
The Geminids occur this year from Dec. 4-17 with the peak of the meteor shower being on Dec. 13 and 14.
Spectacular coincidence gives appearance Geminid meteor exploded in Puerto Rico
A video shot early Wednesday morning captured the moment a meteor streaked across the sky and appeared to explode over Puerto Rico. (Courtesy: Frankie Lucena via Storyful)
CABO ROJO, Puerto Rico – A video shot early Wednesday morning captured the moment a meteor streaked across the sky over Puerto Rico and appeared to explode.
The meteor was part of the Geminid meteor shower, one of the best meteor showers of the year that happens every December. The Geminids occur this year from Dec. 4-17 with the peak of the meteor shower being on Dec. 13 and 14.
FILE: The Geminid meteor shower as seen in Bazhou, Xinjiang Province, China, in the early morning of December 14, 2021.
(Xue Bing / Costfoto / Future Publishing / Getty Images)
On Dec. 13, just before 6 a.m. local time, Frankie Lucena of Cabo Rojo in southwestern Puerto Rico recorded a meteor shooting down toward the horizon.
GEMINID METEOR SHOWER PEAKS WEDNESDAY THANKS TO THIS PUZZLING ASTEROID
As it disappears, a flash of light appears in the lower right corner of the frame, giving the illusion that the meteor has exploded.
A loop showing the meteor fall and then, a few seconds later, a flash of light appears on the lower right corner.
(Frankie Lucena via Storyful / FOX Weather)
"This is just a remarkable coincidence," Lucena said. "The trajectory of the meteor just happens to coincide with the location of the explosion."
He believes the explosion was produced by Puerto Rico’s electric grid, which is still recovering from damage caused by hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017 and Hurricane Fiona in 2022.
Lucena noted that, despite the explosion related to the power grid, the power only went out in his area for about a minute.