Large fireball over Spain shines as bright as the Moon
A large fireball was seen over the skies of Spain on January 24, 2025, shining as bright as the Moon after hitting the atmosphere at 114 000 km/h (70 836 mph).
A very bright fireball was observed over the skies of Spain at approximately 06:20 UTC (07:20 local time) on January 24. The bolide, shining nearly as bright as the Moon, entered the atmosphere at a speed of 114 000 km/h (70 836 mph), traveling over southern Spain and the Mediterranean Sea.
The event began at an altitude of approximately 100 km (62 miles) above Fuente la Sabina in the Albacete province. It moved southeast, passing over the region of Murcia and the southern part of Alicante province, before concluding at an altitude of around 40 km (25 miles) above the Mediterranean Sea.
5) DESDE EL FAMOSO PICO BARTOLO, #CASTELLÓN fue también captado así de espectacular. Pese a encontrarse a 260 km de distancia, vemos como aparenta sobrevolar La Plana de #Castelló en este vídeo impresionante (pese a la contaminación lumínica) de Vicent Ibàñez @vicent_ibanyez. pic.twitter.com/aKLUDPe6KY
— Red Investigación Bólidos y Meteoritos (SPMN) (@RedSpmn) January 24, 2025
6) MARAVILLOSA LA CAPTURA DESDE #VILAVELLA, #Castelló/#Castellón de Vicent Ibàñez @vicent_ibanyez. Como apreciábamos también en el primer vídeo desde Barx, el bólido es tan luminoso que genera un "fantasmita" volando en dirección contraria: ¡un reflejo interno en la óptica! pic.twitter.com/hGpQctNdSZ
— Red Investigación Bólidos y Meteoritos (SPMN) (@RedSpmn) January 24, 2025
#SUPERBÓLIDO #SPMN240125F SOBREVOLANDO #ALBACETE, #MURCIA Y #ALICANTE HOY a las 6h20m19s TUC (7h20 CET). Estudiado desde @ice_csic @CSIC @IEEC_space, con espectaculares registros.
— Red Investigación Bólidos y Meteoritos (SPMN) (@RedSpmn) January 24, 2025
Jordi Donet @DonetJorge desde Barx-La Visteta, #València
Al listado:
https://t.co/dApS24MptP pic.twitter.com/r4EoUIXlMo
The fireball traveled a total distance of 154 km (96 miles) through the atmosphere. It passed over Albacete, Murcia, and Alicante, and was visible from nearly all parts of the Iberian Peninsula.
The bright meteor was recorded as part of the SMART project, operated by the Southwestern Europe Meteor Network (SWEMN). Observations were made from meteor-observing stations located at La Hita, Calar Alto, Sierra Nevada, La Sagra, Sevilla, Marçà, and Otura.
Featured image credit: Observatorio Astronomica de Calar Alto
Rishav Kothari is Editor-in-Chief of The Watchers, where he runs the newsroom and covers earthquakes, volcanoes, severe weather and space weather.
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