This is the spectacular moment a meteor streaked across the night sky in Spain.

Footage shows the bright shooting star lighting up the horizon over the neighbouring provinces of Caceres and Salamanca on August 20 at 11:44 pm UTC.

Authorities said the fireball displayed a bright head as it entered its final phase, ablating at a speed of 94,000 km/h.

Residents across the region witnessed the celestial event, which remained visible despite cloud cover and smoke from ongoing wildfires in Castilla y Leon and Galicia.

Meteors are created when meteoroids enter Earth's atmosphere at high speeds, causing friction that heats the meteoroid and the surrounding air. This process causes the meteoroid to melt and vaporise, creating a bright trail of light.

Spain, located in the southern part of Europe, has many areas with clear skies and relatively low light pollution, particularly in rural regions. These conditions make for excellent viewing conditions for celestial events like this.