Huelva, Spain
The detectors of the SMART project, From the Institute of Astrophysics of Andalusia (IAA-CSIC), from the astronomical observatories of Seville, La Hita (Toledo), Calar Alto (Almeria), the Sagra (Granada) i Madrid, they have recorded the passage of a fireball over the center of Spain at 72,000 km / h.
According to the analysis of the principal investigator of the SMART project, José María Madiedo, from the Instituto de Astrophysicist(…)physics of Andalusia (IAA-CSIC), the fireball was recorded yesterday April 1 at 11:05 p.m.
The phenomenon occurred when a rock entered the Earth’s atmosphere at a speed of about 97,000 kilometers per hour over the western part of the province of Toledo.
Due to this high speed, the sudden friction with the air caused the rock to become incandescent when it was at a height of about 92 kilometers generating a bright ball of fire, which due to its great luminosity could see from more than 500 miles away.
The car advanced in a northwesterly direction and became extinct when it was at an altitude of about 43 kilometers above the Toledo town of Oropesa, after traveling a total distance of about 64 kilometers into the atmosphere.
Project detectors SMART operate under the Red of B(…)oh(…)to read i meteors from’ Southwest Europe (SWEMN), which aims to continuously monitor the sky in order to record and study the impact against the Earth’s atmosphere of rocks from different objects in the solar system.