Suspected Meteor Flies Past Cyprus And Explodes Mid-Air

The night sky in the island nation of Cyprus lit up as a suspected meteor flew over and exploded mid-air on September 9. One security camera in the coastal city of Paphos captured a car windshield reflecting the meteor.

Locals told police they saw a blue glow that streaked and illuminated the Trodos mountain range just past Thursday midnight. Authorities said residents reported a loud boom that might have come from the object. An official for the country's geological department said the object "exploded in the sky" as there were no indications of a ground impact.

A police official believed the object was likely a meteor, but told AFP they were still getting details about it. He also said police have started searching for debris from the object. There were no reports of injuries or damage.

Speaking to Reuters, Ioannis Fakas, the honorary chairman of the Cyprus Astronomical Society said the object "wouldn't have weighed any more than a few kilos," and that it had a "45 degree tilt" prior to exploding. He said the object ended up into the sea north of the country. According to Cyprus' civil aviation authority, pre-dawn flights had been normal during the event and that no airspace incidents were reported.

NASA estimates that about 100 tons of space debris, known as meteoroids, hit Earth every day. They can be as small as dust or as big as rocks. Meteors are meteoroids and are mostly small pieces of asteroids or comets. Upon getting into contact with Earth's atmosphere and gravity, these objects become fireballs. Their remnants striking the ground are known as meteorites.

The most recent meteor explosion happened in 2013 over Russia's Chelyabinsk Oblast. The meteor was about 13,000 metric tons heavy and estimated to be 20 meters long. It exploded mid-air, causing a massive shockwave that damaged nearly 7,000 buildings and injured nearly 1,500 people.