Fireball with vertical path during the night of May 12th 2018

A fireball with a very vertical trajectory flew over Jaen Province (South Spain) on the night of May 12th 2018 at 22:09 UT (00:09 local time).

This fireball could not be observed from SMART Project's detectors at Calar Alto Observatory (Almería, South Spain), but it could be registered from the external surveillance webcams located at this observatory, as well as with the SMART detectors operated at La Hita (Toledo), Sevilla and La Sagra (Granada).

Following the preliminary analysis carried out by Professor José María Madiedo (University of Huelva), PI of the SMART Project, this fireball had a nearly vertical trajectory, starting at an altitude of about 84 km, moving then southeastward (see the picture) and then finishing at an altitude of about 31 km. above  the ground.

The calculated speed of this object was about 56.000 km/h and it had an asteroidal origin.

Below are the records from Calar Alto Observatory 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.