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Mayon Meteor Burned Up — Rising Orb Likely Satellite Glint

PHIVOLCS confirmed instrument checks show the fireball disintegrated in the atmosphere after an initial miscaption.

Overview

  • A bright green fireball streaked over Mount Mayon on Monday, May 25, and was captured on multiple livestream and surveillance cameras while the volcano was erupting.
  • PHIVOLCS reviewed seismic, infrasound and additional camera records and withdrew an earlier caption that said the meteor struck the mountain, confirming it broke up in the atmosphere.
  • Harvard physicist Avi Loeb and meteoritics experts including NASA’s Bill Cooke and Peter Brown said the small white light seen rising after the flash most plausibly was sunlight glinting from a satellite and not debris from the meteor.
  • The scene went viral and drew UFO and missile speculation, prompting PHIVOLCS and local authorities to warn about misleading or AI‑altered videos and to stress careful verification of footage.
  • Mayon remains at Alert Level 3 with enforced exclusion zones and relocations in place and officials continue to monitor the eruption and any related hazards closely.