English (UK)
This bright fireball flew over Mediterranean Sea at 5:22 local time (4:22 UT) on December 6th 2017.
The images of this object have been registered whithin the SMART Project framework (University of Huelva) from both La Hita (Toledo) and Calar Alto (Almería) observatories. In the last case, this fireball could also be recorded with two of the external surveillance webcams this observatory has.
Following the analysis carried out by Professor José María Madiedo (University of Huelva), PI of the SMART Project, this event was caused by the entrance into our atmosphere of a rock at a speed of about 140.000 km/h. The fireball flew over the Spanish Mediterranean coast, between Castellón de la Plana and Balearic Islands, as you can see from the image above. The luminous phenomena started at an altitude of about 100 km over the sea, finishing at about 52 km above the sea level.
Next are the videos that could be recorded with two of the Calar Alto Observatory external surveillance webcams.
Calar Alto (CAHA) fireball detection station, together with the one at the Observatory of Sierra Nevada (IAA-CSIC) and others placed at different locations in Spain, are part of the S.M.A.R.T. project led by Professor José María Madiedo (University of Huelva) to track that kind of objects. Specifically, Calar Alto (CAHA) station and the one at Sierra Nevada (IAA-CSIC) constitute a collaboration agreement between Professor Madiedo and both institutions.
