As a fireball lit up the night sky in Puerto Rico, hundreds of people notified the authorities about strange objects flying above the Caribbean island.
The impressive light show took place on Tuesday night, as the Orionid meteor shower was peaking. The stunning spectacle was captured by photographer Frankie Lucena, who shared footage of the incident on social media on Wednesday.
The skywatcher speculated that the fireball was a Taurid – a type of meteor named after their radiant point in the constellation Taurus.
Colorful fireball from last night. The tail seems to be pointing in the direction of Taurus so it could be a Taurid meteor. 4K version at https://t.co/qY2JvyqMgl and https://t.co/dgdkUeJExN@adamonzon@DeborahTiempo@weatherchannel@amsmeteors@SkyandTelescope@pgbrownpic.twitter.com/HMSJyoQd9E
The skies above the unincorporated US territory have been a hive of activity in recent days, as the Caribbean Astronomical Society has reported that hundreds of Puerto Ricans have reported seeing unexplained “white dots” in the sky during daylight hours.
The society was inundated with people seeking answers, and many even managed to photograph the peculiar objects, which were described as akin to “bright planets.”
An investigation subsequently revealed that the “planets” were actually balloons from Project Loon – a development from Google’s parent company, Alphabet. The network of WiFi-equipped helium balloons aims to expand broadband access on the ground, with the added benefit of boosting Google’s information-collection capabilities in the sky.
“We are totally sure that what was seen in the sky were these balloons, since we even managed to capture photos through telescopes, at a time when the naked eye could see the same white dots that many saw,” the Caribbean Astronomical Society said in a statement.
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