Beautiful Virgin Islands

Wednesday, Aug 27, 2025

Space Rock Reportedly Hits Cuba, Lights Up Night Sky and Causes Explosions

Space Rock Reportedly Hits Cuba, Lights Up Night Sky and Causes Explosions

The Caribbean island was previously hit by a meteorite in February 2019, with space rock fragments causing a sonic boom powerful enough to shatter windows in the city of Pinar del Rio in country’s west.

Seismologists in Cuba have tentatively attributed mysterious lights illuminating the night sky above the Moa seismological station in the country’s east to a meteorite.

At 10:06 pm, the station registered ‘several luminous phenomena’, with residents in multiple communities reporting spotting a red and white light followed by one or more explosions.

National Seismological Service Chief Enrique Arango Arias confirmed to CubaDebate that the agency believes the event was caused by a space rock.

“Judging by the readings of the sensors, it was not a terrestrial explosion, but, since it was an event with such characteristics, our equipment recorded a shockwave,” the seismologist explained. He added that in addition to Moa, the event had been registered in the nearby towns of Sagua de Tanamo and Maisi.


A tweet by Elier Pila Farinas from the Institute of Meteorology of Cuba, explaining that the bright flash recorded by the GOES-East satellite over eastern Cuba was categorized as a lightning strike, despite lack of adverse weather activity in the area.

Hilario Quintana Charlot, an eyewitness in the nearby town of Jamaica, said he was outside when the suspected meteor came down, saying he saw a ball of light in the sky “which lit up everything, and then two or three minutes later, two explosions in a row”.

Another eyewitness, Luis Daniel Cano of Santiago de Cuba, said he spotted a fast-moving light across the sky, followed by a flash which he compared to a powerful bolt of lightning.

Local residents published images of the phenomena online, as well as footage of satellite equipment showing the flash of the possible meteorite. The amateur images have not been authenticated.


Cuba's size - just 110,000 square km, and the fact that it is surrounded on all sides by water, make meteorite strikes a relatively rare phenomenon on the island, with less than ten confirmed strikes reported in the past eighty-plus years. The most peculiar touchdown was a daytime strike in June 1994 of a rock weighing about 400 grams in the town of Lajas, central Cuba. The last confirmed meteorite strike hit the island on 1 February 2019.

Scientists estimate that the Earth is hit by about 6,100 meteors per year (i.e. about 17 per day). The vast majority are not detected, falling in uninhabited areas or oceans, and most are extremely small by the time they reach the ground. Meteorites have given astronomers important clues about life on other planets, the formation of the solar system, and even the origins of the universe.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Spotify’s Strange Move: The Feature Nobody Asked For – Returns
Manhunt in Australia: Armed Anti-Government Suspect Kills Police Officers Sent to Arrest Him
China Launches World’s Most Powerful Neutrino Detector
How Beijing-Linked Networks Shape Elections in New York City
Ukrainian Refugee Iryna Zarutska Fled War To US, Stabbed To Death
Elon Musk Sues Apple and OpenAI Over Alleged App Store Monopoly
2 Australian Police Shot Dead In Encounter In Rural Victoria State
Vietnam Evacuates Hundreds of Thousands as Typhoon Kajiki Strikes; China’s Sanya Shuts Down
UK Government Delays Decision on China’s Proposed London Embassy Amid Concerns Over Redacted Plans
A 150-Year Tradition to Be Abolished? Uproar Over the Popular Central Park Attraction
A new faith called Robotheism claims artificial intelligence isn’t just smart but actually God itself
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner Purchases Third Property Amid Housing Tax Reforms Debate
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Italian Facebook Group Sharing Intimate Images Without Consent Shut Down Amid Police Investigation
Dutch Foreign Minister Resigns Amid Deadlock Over Israel Sanctions
Trump and Allies Send Messages of Support to Ukraine on Independence Day Amid Ongoing Conflict
China Reels as Telegram Chat Group Shares Hidden-Camera Footage of Women and Children
Sam Nicoresti becomes first transgender comedian to win Edinburgh Comedy Award
Builders uncover historic human remains in Lancashire house renovation
Australia Wants to Tax Your Empty Bedrooms
MotoGP Cameraman Narrowly Avoids Pedro Acosta Crash at Hungarian Grand Prix
FBI Investigates John Bolton Over Classified Documents in High-Profile Raids
Report reveals OpenAI pitched national ChatGPT Plus subscription to UK ministers
Labour set to freeze income tax thresholds in long-term 'stealth' tax raid
Coca‑Cola explores sale of Costa coffee chain
Trial hears dog walker was chased and fatally stabbed by trio
Restaurateur resigns from government hospitality council over tax criticism
Spanish City funfair shut after serious ride injury
Suspected arson at Ilford restaurant leaves three in critical condition
Tottenham beat Manchester City to go top of Premier League
Bank holiday heatwave to hit 30°C before remnants of Hurricane Erin arrive
UK to deploy immigration advisers to West Africa to block fake visas
Nurse who raped woman continued working for a year despite police alert
Drought forces closures of England’s canal routes, canceling boat holidays
Sweet tooth scents: food-inspired perfumes surge as weight-loss drugs suppress appetites
Experts warn Britain dangerously reliant on imported food
Family of Notting Hill Carnival murder victim call event unmanageable
Bunkers, Billions and Apocalypse: The Secret Compounds of Zuckerberg and the Tech Giants
Ukraine Declares De Facto War on Hungary and Slovakia with Terror Drone Strikes on Their Gas Lifeline
Animated K-pop Musical ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Becomes Netflix’s Most-Watched Original Animated Film
New York Appeals Court Voids Nearly $500 Million Civil Fraud Penalty Against Trump While Upholding Fraud Liability
Elon Musk tweeted, “Europe is dying”
Far-Right Activist Convicted of Incitement Changes Gender and Demands: "Send Me to a Women’s Prison" | The Storm in Germany
Hungary Criticizes Ukraine: "Violating Our Sovereignty"
Will this be the first country to return to negative interest rates?
Child-free hotels spark controversy
North Korea is where this 95-year-old wants to die. South Korea won’t let him go. Is this our ally or a human rights enemy?
Hong Kong Launches Regulatory Regime and Trials for HKD-Backed Stablecoins
China rehearses September 3 Victory Day parade as imagery points to ‘loyal wingman’ FH-97 family presence
×