A ball of fire re-cross the sky of the south of Spain – Hypertext

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At 22:25 hours of the past 11 December, a large bolide was detected in the skies of Andalusia and Castile-la Mancha. According to collect the data measured by the stations of Calar Alto (Almeria), Hita (Toledo), La Sagra (Granada), Sierra Nevada (Granada) and Seville, the object lit up the sky with a great intensity, still visible from various points of the Iberian Peninsula. The preliminary information, which is analyzed by the professor José María Madiedo, indicates that the fireball could have impacted against the Earth, having survived part of the rock upon impact.

The great ball of fire

According to indicate the sources from project SMART, which operates in the network astronomical in the south of Spain, the luminous phenomenon flew over the provinces of Granada and Jaén. As shown in the video picked up by the surveillance cameras of meteorites Calar Alto, the car would have “impacted” against the earth’s atmosphere at a speed of about 72,000 Km/h, which would have caused the brilliant fireball picked up by the recording. Although we have collected testimonials from people who claim to have felt a small tremor, it seems that this detail is out of the question. What could have been heard is the roar caused by the explosion of the bolide fall. As we said, now we are researching if it has arrived to survive the meteorite. If this were so, the rock can be recovered for further study.

By the time we do not have clear where it came from, but a subsequent analysis will help us to understand their origin, as well as its composition, which could provide valuable astronomical data.

This ball of fire reminiscent of the fireball observed over the past few months of summer, when we were able to enjoy several of these phenomena. As we explained at the time, the phenomena of July should be to the field of debris left by the comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle and 169P/NEAT among others. On this occasion, it is still early to know with accuracy even the experts will have more information in the following days.

SMART, in search of meteorites

This bolide has been observed from several astronomical seasons framed within a project known as SMART, an acronym for Spectroscopy of Meteoroids in the Atmosphere by means of Robotic Technologies. The objective of this initiative is to analyze the matter interplanetary that hits the Earth for more data on its nature. So, SMART works by determining its trajectory, its orbit, and of which bodies of our Solar System from these particles. He also analyzes the chemical composition and various physical parameters of meteoroids detected. Another important aspect of the analysis is to know how to spread in the terrestrial atmosphere the chemical species that make up the fireballs detected once these are broken down to their step. When the rocks survive the fall and are in the form of meteorites, SMART works to recover those meteorites for analysis.

Calar Alto Observatory

finally, and not least important, the project works to improve the systems of detection of a way that it can be extended the network partner as well as the automation of systems and teams. In this way, the detection becomes more precise, comfortable and efficient, increasing the amount of information obtained by the network. From 2014, the Astronomical Observatory of Calar Alto is a station of detection of meteors formed by five surveillance cameras of high sensitivity. Here come the spectacular images of the fireball view last night. These teams monitored the whole sky in search of any indication of a meteoroid. So it can identify automatically the roadsters and the input of the rocks in the earth’s atmosphere for further study.