Very bright fireball over Morocco

This impressive fireball was recorded over Morocco at 02:16 UTC on January 30, 2022. It was as bright as the full Moon.

The event was generated by a rock (a meteoroid) from a comet that hit the atmosphere at about 255 000 km/h (158 450 mph).

It began at an altitude of about 146 km (91 miles) over Oulad Sidi Abd el Hakem (eastern Morocco), moved northwest, and ended at a height of around 62 km (38 miles) over Tafersit (northeastern Morocco).

This bright meteor was recorded in the framework of the SMART project, operated by the Southwestern Europe Meteor Network (SWEMN) from the meteor-observing stations located at Calar Alto, Sierra Nevada, Sevilla, La Sagra (Granada), Huelva, El Aljarafe, and La Hita (Toledo).

The event has been analyzed by the principal investigator of the SMART project: Dr. Jose M. Madiedo, from the Institute of Astrophysics of Andalusia (IAA-CSIC).

Featured image credit: Jm Madiedo