A remarkable event occurred when a meteor exploded in Earth’s atmosphere, and it was captured from space for the very first time.
Annually, about 30 meteor showers can be observed from Earth, such as the Perseids and the Geminids, which are known for producing numerous meteors each hour.
Despite this, small space rocks are frequently entering Earth’s atmosphere, with most disintegrating before reaching the surface.
In November, the satellite video platform SEN recorded a bolide meteor as it traveled across the sky and detonated over the North Pacific Ocean.
This is certainly an extraordinary sight that most people wouldn’t witness regularly!
The incident was filmed from 408 kilometers away on the International Space Station (ISS) using Sen’s 4K Space-TV-1 camera system. Sen is pioneering the nearly 24/7 livestreaming of Ultra High Definition footage of Earth.
Previously, SEN’s cameras have documented events like the solar eclipse in April and Hurricane Milton, which hit Florida in October. On November 10, 2025, they captured footage of a bolide meteor entering Earth’s atmosphere.
As defined by SEN, a bolide is ‘a sizable meteor that bursts mid-air, creating a vivid flash and sometimes producing sonic booms’.
A burst of purple and white light streaks across the dark sky before vanishing in an instant.
A bolide forms ‘when a meteor travels at high speeds, compressing and heating the air, causing it to shatter,’ according to SEN.
NASA explains that this fragmentation process ‘increases the amount of atmosphere intercepted and thus enhances ablation’—essentially rapid erosion—and atmospheric braking.
“The object catastrophically disrupts when the force from the unequal pressures on the front and back sides exceeds its tensile strength,” according to the US space agency.
Space enthusiasts on Reddit’s R/SpacePorn community were captivated by the meteor, particularly its distinct color.
One user remarked: “The few that I’ve been fortunate enough to witness firsthand have all been green. This purple is striking. Must have been something to see.”
Another added: “I remember seeing it, thinking it was a plane or chopper. Then it got a little brighter, and then… gone.”
A third participant exclaimed: “I saw that!!”
Sen has managed to capture Ultra High Definition live views of Earth using three different camera angles: one with a wide-angle panoramic lens that shows Earth’s horizon, another that looks directly down at Earth, and a third aimed at the forward-facing docking port of the space station’s Harmony Module.
The cameras are capable of streaming footage from space to Earth live for more than 20 hours each day, with only a few hours of expected downtime due to routine loss-of-signal communications on the inter-satellite link that relays the video data to the ground.
Sen is streaming this footage on YouTube, accessible on the Sen channel, and also on their website.
While the stream is free for all viewers, the company offers subscription options that include features like ad-free viewing, downloads, and enhanced usage.