A bright meteor lit up the Copacabana sky in Brazil

On Wednesday, September 29, a meteor fireball swept over several cities in Brazil, Agencia Brasil reports.

A large number of observers could see the light path of a celestial body that crossed such Brazilian cities as Itamonte, Varginha and Patos de Minas in the state of Minas Gerais. It could also be seen from Rio de Janeiro. In particular, the car was seen in the southern part of the capital, where it brightly illuminated the local Copacabana beach.

Data on the composition of the meteor, speed and route have not been revealed.

According to Marcelo Zurita, director of the Brazilian Meteorological Observation Network, celestial bodies such as meteors rotate around the Sun at a speed of 40,000 to 266,000 km per hour. Therefore, even the smallest fragments of a meteor, when reaching the Earth's atmosphere, can instantly heat atmospheric gases, which is the cause of the glow. Thus, the meteor itself is not something solid, but a glow, which is popularly called a "shooting star".