Very bright, slow-moving fireball over Spain
A very bright, slow-moving fireball was spotted over Spain at 04:50 UTC on October 12, 2022. It was as almost as bright as the full moon.
According to an analysis by the principal investigator of the SMART project, Dr. Jose M. Madiedo, from the Institute of Astrophysics of Andalusia (IAA-CSIC), the event was generated by a rock (a meteoroid) from an asteroid that hit the atmosphere at about 69 000 km/h.
The fireball moved east over southern Spain, beginning at an altitude of about 81 km (50 miles) over the province of Jaén and ending at a height of around 32 km (20 miles) over Murcia, Jaén.
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 La Hita (Toledo), Calar Alto, Sierra Nevada, Huelva, El Aljarafe, La Sagra, and Sevilla.
Featured image credit: Jim Madiedo (stillshot)
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