Giant fireball 'ten times brighter than the moon' turns day to night

Spanish scientists have captured the moment a fireball said to be ten times brighter than the moon hurtled through the sky. The natural phenomenon was registered by the La Hita Observatory in Toledo in the early hours of this morning. The incredible sight was caused by a 30kg meteorite, which had broken off from a comet, hitting the Earth’s atmosphere.

The spectacle could also reportedly be seen in southern and eastern Spain, including the regions of Castilla-La Mancha, Valencia, Murcia and Andalusia. Jose Maria Mateido, a professor at the University of Huelva in south-western Spain, explained that the fireball gave out the extraordinarily bright light when it hit the Earth’s atmosphere at around 56,000 mph. READ MORE