A mysterious bright object lighting up the skies over Amritsar and several parts of Punjab on Thursday evening has left residents intrigued, with videos of the celestial event flooding social media.
The glowing object was spotted at around 8.34 pm on July 16, appearing as a brilliant streak of light that illuminated the sky for a few seconds before disappearing. Eyewitnesses from Amritsar, Tarn Taran, Gurdaspur, Jalandhar and nearby areas shared videos online, with many initially wondering if it was a meteor, a satellite or something more unusual.
A bright meteor was spotted streaking across the evening sky over Amritsar and several other parts of Punjab on July 16, 2026. Videos of the spectacular sight are rapidly going viral on social media.#Punjab #Amritsar #Meteor pic.twitter.com/0RcfFzqWBm
— Parmeet Bidowali (@ParmeetBidowali) July 17, 2026
Soon after, clips of the spectacle went viral on X, Facebook and Instagram. One user wrote, “I’ve never seen anything like this over Punjab. It looked straight out of a movie.” Another commented, “For a moment I thought it was a shooting star, but it was far brighter.” Several users described it as the brightest object they had ever seen streaking across the night sky.
Firozpur pic.twitter.com/jBkTFpeZAO
— Rajan Thind (@rajanthind) July 17, 2026
Astronomy experts believe the phenomenon was most likely a meteoroid entering Earth’s atmosphere at extremely high speed. As it encountered atmospheric friction, the rock heated up and burned brightly, creating what is commonly known as a fireball before disintegrating high above the ground.
Ahead of PM Modi visit to Jalandhar, Meteorite spotted in the sky of many cities of Punjab last night.
pic.twitter.com/rkUkozhvZV
— DesiEsco
(@DesiEsco7) July 17, 2026
Experts emphasised that such events are natural and generally harmless, adding that there is no official confirmation that any meteorite fragments reached the ground.
A bright meteor was spotted streaking across the evening sky over Amritsar and several other parts of Punjab on July 16, 2026. Videos of the spectacular sight are rapidly going viral on social media.#TejRan #bbvipal5 #paobc #Iran #IranWar pic.twitter.com/YQIfliIVgd
— Arshad Sharif (@ArshadShar65819) July 17, 2026
While the exact size and origin of the object remain unknown, the dazzling display has become one of the most talked-about moments on Punjab’s social media, with thousands sharing videos and debating what they had witnessed.
