What lit up Mexico City's sky at 4 a.m.? Scientists explain rare bolide event

Residents of Mexico City and other areas in central Mexico were jolted awake early Wednesday by a loud explosion and a bright flash across the sky.The event was later confirmed by monitoring services as a bolide — an exceptionally bright meteor that explodes in Earth’s atmosphere.¡Impresionante avistamiento en el cielo!☄️???? Esta madrugada, en el centro del país, se registró un fuerte sonido similar a una explosión cerca de las 04:51 horas.Cámaras de seguridad y Webcams de México captaron el paso de lo que se considera un meteorito a las 03:47:06. pic.twitter.com/0KRHH04pU1— Bóveda Informativa (@bovedainfo) April 16, 2025The phenomenon occurred at approximately 3:49 a.m. local time today, sparking widespread social media buzz but no immediate reports of damage, injuries, debris or impact sites.The independent seismic monitoring service Sismo Alerta Mexicana detected the explosion’s acoustic wave via seismographs, affirming on social media it originated from a bolide that exploded an esti...