A meteor lit up the night sky and appeared to fall beside the Mayon volcano in the Philippines on May 26, 2024 [1].

The event is notable because the meteor's descent was captured by a live volcanic webcam while Mayon volcano was undergoing a low-level eruption [3]. This rare overlap of astronomical and geological activity provided a unique visual record of both events occurring simultaneously.

The fireball was recorded at 10:33 p.m. local time [2] by the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) using its Lignon Hill IP camera [1]. Footage showed the meteor blazing across the sky behind the volcano, with some reports describing the object as a rare green fireball [2].

Despite the appearance of a direct descent toward the mountain, the object did not make contact with the land. The meteor disintegrated during its plunge through the atmosphere and did not strike the slopes of Mayon [1].

Mayon volcano, located on the island of Luzon, is known for its near-perfect cone shape and frequent activity. The PHIVOLCS webcam is part of a monitoring network designed to track volcanic changes and provide early warnings to residents in the surrounding region. The capture of the meteor was an incidental result of this continuous surveillance, a byproduct of the agency's effort to monitor the volcano's ongoing low-level eruption [3].

Local authorities and scientists have used the footage to verify the timing and trajectory of the meteor. Because the object burned up completely in the atmosphere, there were no reports of debris or impact damage on the ground [1].

“The meteor disintegrated during its plunge through the atmosphere and did not strike the slopes of Mayon.”

This event highlights the utility of specialized monitoring infrastructure. While the PHIVOLCS webcam is intended for geological hazard mitigation, its ability to capture transient astronomical events provides secondary data for researchers. The fact that the meteor disintegrated without impact underscores the common nature of atmospheric friction destroying small space debris before it reaches the Earth's surface, even when it appears visually close to a landmark.