Rare meteor lights up night sky in Turkey

Clouds illuminated in red and green as meteor shoots across eastern province

A meteor lights up the night sky in Turkey's Gumushane Province on Saturday night. Reuters

People in eastern Turkey were left amazed after a meteor lit up the night sky on Saturday, turning clouds green and red above a children's park.

In videos widely shared on social media, the sky is illuminated in flashes of green as the meteor travels through the clouds over the area.

Those at a children's playground were treated to dramatic views, thought to be caused by a meteoroid entering the Earth’s upper atmosphere and heating up.

In the video, a child can be seen playing with a balloon as the meteor suddenly shoots across the cloudy sky, creating an eerie show of colour.

The meteor was seen above the city of Ezurum in eastern Anatolia, a popular destination for nature lovers.

Another clip showed a clearer view of the meteor changing colour as it passed through the skies.

The meteor was also visible in the coastal city of Antalya, where social media users shared images of parks and gardens lit up green and red.

Drivers on a rural road were also stunned by the meteor.

A meteor is a meteoroid – described by Nasa as a “space rock” – which has entered the Earth's atmosphere and heated up.

It is known as a meteorite after surviving the trip through Earth's atmosphere and hitting the ground.