Impressive fireball flew over Castilla La Mancha (south-mid Spain) during the night of November 4th 2018

During the early morning of November 4th 2018, an impressive fireball which flew over Castilla La Mancha (south-mid Spain) above its Southeast part could be observed.

The phenomena was registered with the SMART Project’s detectors operated at Calar Alto (Almería), OSN (Sierra Nevada, Granada), Sevilla, La Hita (Toledo) and La Sagra (Granada) observatories.

This fireball was also registered with the external surveillance webcams located at Calar Alto Observatory (Almería).

Following the preliminary analysis carried out by Professor José María Madiedo (University of Huelva), PI of the SMART Project, this event had a cometary origin, concretely the rock that impacted our atmosphere came from the Encke comet. It is a fireball associated with the North Taurid star shower.

The initial speed of the object was about 100.000 km/h, starting the phenomena at an altitude of about 113 km above Castilla La Mancha, moving then northeastward and finishing at an altitude of 51 km above the ground of the same region of Castilla La Mancha.

Below are the videos that could be registered with the Calar Alto Observatory external surveillance north webcam, and with the SMART Project north detector.

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.