A breathtaking celestial display captivated residents across New Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) on the night of September 19-20, 2025. A brilliant meteor, identified by experts as a bolide, fragmented spectacularly as it entered Earth's atmosphere around 1:20 AM IST.
The event, visible across Delhi, Noida, Ghaziabad, Gurgaon, and even as far as Aligarh, briefly outshone city lights and was widely shared on social media, with many describing it as a "shooting star explosion." While initially identified by astronomical experts as a bolide, a meteor that bursts into fragments due to intense atmospheric friction and heat, later analysis of video recordings and tracking data suggests it could have been related to the atmospheric re-entry of fragments from a Chinese Long March 3B rocket. While meteors are common, the brightness and widespread visibility of this event made it exceptionally rare.
The American Meteor Society noted that September is generally an active period for meteor showers, though isolated fireball-like meteors can occur outside these predictable events. The visual characteristics, including fragmentation, suggest a sizable space rock that burned up dramatically. Many observers reported the flash lasted only a few seconds but was remarkably intense. Some also mentioned hearing a faint rumbling sound, though no official confirmation or impact sites have been reported.
The event sparked online discussions, with some speculating about space debris, such as rocket re-entry fragments, due to concerns over space junk. However, according to some experts, the characteristics of the event, such as its relatively slow visible speed and fragmentation, are more consistent with the atmospheric re-entry of space debris. While some reports suggested it could be debris from a Chinese CZ-3B rocket, other assessments point to a natural bolide. The timing of the event aligns with a predicted reentry of a Chinese Long March 3B rocket body (CZ-3B R/B, NORAD 61188), which was expected to reenter on September 19, 2025. This has led to conflicting expert opinions, with some data indicating the event was consistent with orbital debris disintegration.
This spectacular display serves as a vivid reminder of the dynamic cosmos and the transient beauty of celestial phenomena, providing a moment of shared wonder and prompting discussions on space debris and the importance of tracking such objects.