The ubiquitous nature of cameras these days, via smartphones, is usually listed as a downside of modern society.

Sometimes, though, people randomly capture something beautiful on camera – something we would never have been able to share without having a handy camera right there in our hand.

This time it was a turquoise flash as a comet shot through the sky over Portugal.

Content creator Milena Refacho captured the stunning fireball on camera, and her original post has netted more than six million views.

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A post shared by Milena Refacho (@milarefacho)

Her friends can be heard ooohing and ahhhing in the background, and it’s no wonder.

The European Space Agency confirmed that a fragment of a comet did pass over Portugal and Spain before burning up in the atmosphere. A super cool blue-green explosion resulted around midnight.

🌠 Fireball update!

It appears that this object was a small piece of a comet.

We estimate that it flew over Spain and Portugal travelling at ~45 km/s before burning up over the Atlantic Ocean at an altitude of ~60 km.

The likelihood of any meteorites being found is very low. https://t.co/OZdo37QsFX

— ESA Operations (@esaoperations) May 19, 2024

The descent was extra bright because it was moving at around 100,000 miles per hour – twice the speed of a rocky asteroid.

Astronomer Meg Schwamb says that the bright color could be an indication of its size, as well.

“This chunk is likely a bit bigger than a good fraction of the meteors we see during meteor showers, so this just made a bigger light show. It’s an unexpected interplanetary fireworks show.”

The ice-rock composition of most comets suggests they formed at the dawn of our solar system.

Pretty cool we can just see stuff like this from our backyard.

The universe loves putting on a show.

If you thought that was interesting, you might like to read about a second giant hole has opened up on the sun’s surface. Here’s what it means.