Brightest Geminid fireball in 30 years of SPMN recorded over Spain
Spanish Fireball and Meteorite Research Network (SPMN) reported the brightest Geminid fireball observed in 30 years of its operation on Saturday, December 14, 2024.
The SPMN141224X bolide recorded from Navianos de Valverde (Miguel A. Furones). Image credit: SPMN
Four bright fireballs associated with the Geminids meteor shower were observed over the skies of Spain on December 14, 2024.
The fourth fireball, observed at 23:27 UTC with a magnitude of approximately -14, was the brightest fireball recorded by the SPMN in its 30 years of operation. The fireball disintegrated approximately 62 km (38.5 miles) above sea level between Astorga and León.
The fireballs were detected by multiple video stations across Spain and reported in Andalusia, Castilla-La Mancha, the Community of Madrid, the Valencian Community, Extremadura, the Balearic Islands, and the Region of Murcia.
The first fireball was observed at 02:31 UTC with a magnitude of approximately -10. The second fireball appeared about three hours later, at 05:35 UTC, with a magnitude of roughly -9. The third fireball was reported at 06:01 UTC with a magnitude of -9 and was only observed over the Canary Islands and Morocco.
I am an Assistant Editor and Severe Weather & Science Journalist at The Watchers, specializing in real-time severe weather coverage, geophysical event reporting, and research-driven scientific analysis. You can reach me at rishav(at)watchers(.)news.
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