Woman captures incredible video of rare meteor soaring over Portugal

There's one-in-a-million and then there's this - a Portuguese teenager has gone viral this week after capturing a truly sensational and unbelievably lucky bit of video.

Milena Refacho was seemingly hanging out with some friends after dark with her phone recording, pointing up at herself, when a huge meteor appeared to soar over their heads, brightening the sky for a moment and leaving behind a fiery trail.

There's a huge blue flash as the meteor first arrives, and Refacho can be seen staring up at the rock as it flies across the sky, while her friends exclaim and swear at how unbelievable what they're seeing really is.

The clip has racked up hundreds of thousands of views and has been reposted widely across X (formerly Twitter), Reddit and other social media sites, with Refacho's own original posts getting huge numbers, too.

The meteor flew over parts of Spain and Portugal on Sunday evening, reportedly reaching speeds of 1,700mph, with a few other lucky souls also capturing it on dashcams and porch cameras.

Still, there aren't any other videos that come particularly close to matching Refacho's, which is perfect not just for the unique angle but also because of the jaw-dropped reaction she gives it on camera, a perfect way to sum up how amazing these celestial events can be.

The comments on her Instagram post sum up how impressed people are, too, with one person writing: "WOoOH you are so lucky. Right time, right angle, everything is just perfect."

Another said, "Probably the greatest video ever!" and someone else commented: "The best video of 2024 is done."

It's been an amazing year for skywatchers so far, too, with this amazing comet flight just the latest in a long line of gorgeous sights.

Much of the Northern Hemisphere was able to enjoy the aurora borealis, also known as the Northern Lights, earlier this month after a solar storm caused them to appear far more widely and further south than usual.

That wasn't even the first memorable sight, though, because millions of people in North America enjoyed a stunning total solar eclipse this year, too, getting the once-in-a-lifetime chance to see totality without having to necessarily go too far from their homes (although many did indeed travel a long way to see it).

These amazing sights always have scientific explanations, of course, but it's still a bit unreal to see so many of them hit the news and spread on social media, all in one year.

Here's hoping this all inspires a whole new generation of astrophysicists and astronomers to actually work out how it all happens.