Watch: Vivid hues of small asteroid illuminates Caribbean as sky skygazers capture ‘impressive collision’

SAN JOSE DE OCOA, Dominican Republic – A close encounter with the cosmos unfolded over Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic as a small asteroid blazed across the sky, according to astronomers.The Caribbean Astronomy Society (SAC) said the “impressive” asteroid was visible across the entire Caribbean region at 7:05 p.m. local time Saturday. After hitting Earth’s atmosphere, the space rock is then classified as a meteor.UP TO 7 PLANETS ALIGN IN NIGHT SKY WOWING SKYGAZERS IN JANUARY AND FEBRUARYFootage captured by X user @PhillyMadeRai shows the fiery rock fragmentation glowing an intense green as it streaked across the sky, trailing in a fiery orange plume moving from east to west.”Just caught the craziest meteor EVER over San Jose de Ocoa, Dominican Republic. It lasted for so long that I had time to pull my phone out and record,” he wrote. “It broke into pieces RIGHT above me and displayed colors of blue/green/purple as it broke into pieces.”DEEP IMPACT: WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT ASTEROIDS AND WHEN WE SHOULD BE WORRIED ABOUT THEMSAC Vice President Eddie Irizarry said the vivid colors strongly suggest a metallic composition, likely rich in magnesium, iron and nickel. Irizarry said that the meteor impressive size – up to 13 feet in diameter – and extended visibility contributed to a memorable public viewing experience. This was evident in the turnout of about 1,200 people who gathered in Cabo Rojo for a special observation night.EVERYTHING SCIENTISTS WOULD WANT TO KNOW IF AN ASTEROID WAS HEADING TOWARD EARTH”The bright meteor caused a big haze and because the sighting lasted for a reasonable time, those looking away managed to turn around and see the impressive collision,” the SAC indicated.After hitting Earth’s atmosphere, the space rock is classified as a meteor.The organization added that it’s not very common for an asteroid or a meteor to be seen from more than one country, but it can happen when it’s of remarkable size.