Two fireballs over Andalusia, southern Spain

two-fireballs-over-andalusia-southern-spain

Two bright fireballs were recorded streaking through the night sky over Andalusia, southern Spain late February 16 and early February 17, 2018.

The first one flew over Córdoba province at 20:52 UTC on February 16 at a speed of about 43 000 km/h (26 700 mph). It was registered with the detectors of the SMART Project that operate at Calar Alto (Almería), La Sagra (Granada), Sierra Nevada (Granada), La Hita (Toledo) and Sevilla. 

Preliminary analysis carried out by Professor María Madiedo of Universidad of Huelva, the principal investigator of SMART Project, the fireball was produced as a consequence of an abrupt entry into our atmosphere of a rock detached from an asteroid.

The event started above the northwest Córdoba province at an altitude of about 75 km (46 miles). From there, the fireball moved southeastward and finished at an altitude of about 26 km (16 miles) above the ground.

YouTube video

The second fireball was registered at 01:10 UTC on February 17 over Murcia and was much more vertical and faster than the Córdoba's one, with a speed of about 100 000 km/h (62 100 mph).

The fireball started at an altitude of about 90 km (56 miles) above the ground and finished at an altitude of about 35 km (21.7 miles) above Murcia region.

YouTube video

Featured image: Fireball over Murcia, Spain at 01:10 UTC on February 17, 2018. Credit: SMART/Meteoroides.net

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