People stunned after giant meteor is spotted streaking across the night sky

Social media has lit up with amazing footage of meteors passing over Portugal and Spain.

The shower took place last night (18 May), lighting up the sky with a dazzling blue light.

Videos made their way onto social media instantly, leaving people stunned.

The rare celestial event is often something we feel apprehensive about. After all, one of the species that came before us likely went extinct thanks to a meteor strike.

But there was no denying how beautiful these showers looked.

In one video from Spain, a woman is shown dancing in the street before the flash of blue light passed over her.

Other clips were taken at music festivals and showed people camped out in hills as the meteors shot through the sky.

In another eye-catching clip, the meteors are shown tearing across the night sky as people drive along a Portuguese highway.

The meteor lit up the sky last night. (X/@CollinRug)

One source said: "At the moment, it has not been confirmed if it hit the Earth’s surface however some reports say it may have fallen near the town of Castro Daire. Other reports say it was closer to Pinheiro."

These two locations are 309 km apart.

Firefighters attended numerous reportings of where it supposedly landed. But as of 2am local time, nothing had been found.

On social media platforms like X and Reddit, people shared their astonishment.

"Wow this was impressive, so bright! From the colour it seems be made of magnesium," one Reddit user commented.

This sighting prompted one user to speculate on a bigger meaning.

They wrote: "Same month as the aurora borealis. Why are all these once in a lifetime events happening so close to each other? Makes you wonder if the solar eclipse was a warning."

Another person concurred: "Legit!!! A once in a lifetime sight."

The meteors appeared over Portugal and Spain on 18 May. (X)

On the lighter side of commentary, one social media user joked: "That's no meteor, that's Optimus Prime."

There are approximately 30 meteor showers each year that are visible to observers on Earth.

Some of them have been around longer than 100 years. For example, the Perseid meteor shower, which takes place every year in August, was first observed around 2,000 years ago.

Last night, the BBC's Sky at Night magazine provided a list of meteor showers to keep an eye out for - though the meteors seen in Portugal and Spain were not included on the list.

Among the showers listed by the BBC, one is taking place in July, two in October and one each in November and December.