A renowned professor from Harvard has shared his insights on the mysterious orb of light that appeared to rise from behind a volcano following a meteor strike.
The astonishing footage captures a brilliant green fireball ascending behind Mount Mayon, a famously active volcano in the Philippines.
This captivating event occurred around 10:30 p.m. on May 25 and was documented by various cameras, as reported by the Philippine Information Agency.
But just after the meteor hit and bright orange lava dripped down the mountain, a small bright, white light was seen rising in the sky, footage shared by afarTV showed.
The spectacle led many to speculate whether it was a UFO making its ascent, but theoretical physicist Avi Loeb has dismissed the idea of extraterrestrial involvement.
Speaking to NewsNation Prime on Saturday, the Ivy League science professor suggested, “The light is most likely a reflection from a satellite catching sunlight.”
He further explained, “With over 10,000 communication satellites orbiting Earth, witnessing such an occurrence is not particularly rare.”
The cosmic expert said that what really took place was a coincidental phenomenon that was spectacularly documented.
Incredible footage captured the moment a dazzling green fireball soared behind Mount Mayon – one of the world’s most active volcanoes located in the Philippines – on May 25
The orb left many wondering if that was a UFO rising into the sky, but according to theoretical physicist Avi Loeb, aliens were not involved
With that, the occurrence has left not just the general public, but scientists, floored by what they saw.
‘It is a gorgeous video of an unusual coincidence,’ Bill Cooke, the head of the Meteoroid Environments Office at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, told The New York Times.
‘One might even use the word wonderful,’ Cooke added.
Rebecca Williams, a volcanologist, or volcano scientist, at the University of Hull in England, echoed Cooke’s interest in the spectacle.
‘There’s nothing more spectacular to me than a volcanic eruption,’ she told the NYT, adding that it was a ‘juxtaposition of two of the most powerful forces in the natural world.’
Meanwhile, physicist Peter Brown of Western University in Ontario, Canada, told the outlet that even though the clip suggests it could have been some sort of crash landing, the object likely vaporized into the atmosphere.
‘It is possible, but not likely, this produced a meteorite,’ Brown explained to the outlet.
‘My bet, particularly given the prominent trail, would be nothing survived.’
After the phenomenon took place, one terrified local from the nearby town of Los Baños said he ‘thought it was a missile because of how bright it was.’
They added: ‘It burned bright green and white for less than a second before it disappeared into the clouds.’
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) initially claimed their cameras had spotted the meteor ‘striking the northern slopes of Mayon Volcano’.
However, after reviewing the data more thoroughly, the agency later confirmed that the space rock actually broke up harmlessly in the atmosphere.
In a post on X, PHIVOLCS wrote: ‘Our review of seismic, infrasound and additional camera footages around the volcano indicate that the meteor disintegrated while in the atmosphere and did not strike the slopes of Mayon, contrary to our initial post.’
If the fireball had collided with the volcano, it would have almost certainly left a fairly obvious impression.
Although this might seem like an incredibly rare coincidence, the chances of a meteor arriving over Mount Mayon’s eruption are actually relatively high.
Mount Mayon, located on the island of Luzon, is the most active volcano in the Philippines and one of the most violent anywhere in the world.
By the time the meteor appeared, the volcano was on its 140th consecutive day of effusive eruption – meaning lava is escaping onto the surface – which has been filmed continuously by multiple cameras.
