Fireball Recorded Over Morocco at 256,000 km/h
A fireball crossed Morocco on October 5. Several Spanish observatories recorded its passage. A preliminary analysis puts its initial speed at 256,000 km/h, or about 71 kilometers per second.
The phenomenon occurred at 4:51 UTC on Monday, October 5. From Spain, detectors at Calar Alto, La Hita, Sierra Nevada and La Sagra recorded the fireball over Morocco. Three outdoor cameras at Calar Alto, in Almería province, also filmed its passage.
On Bladi.net : An impressive fireball crosses the sky over Morocco at 93,000 km/h
The first measurements were made by José María Madiedo, a researcher at the Andalusian Institute of Astrophysics and scientific director of the SMART project. In its report published on October 6, the Calar Alto Observatory says the luminous trajectory began at an altitude of 123 kilometers and ended at 69 kilometers.
Fragments from space
These luminous trails appear when particles from space enter Earth’s atmosphere at high speed. They may come from asteroids or comets. NASA reserves the term “fireball” for particularly bright meteors, whose brightness can exceed that of Venus.
Spanish stations regularly track these passages. The SMART project uses automated equipment installed at several observatories to study particles of interplanetary matter. The Sierra Nevada station works with the network’s other facilities.
On Bladi.net : Celestial Spectacle: Blazing Fireball Streaks Across Morocco and Spain
This system also records fireballs crossing the Moroccan sky. For the October 5 event, the Calar Alto report places it over North Africa.
The observatory has posted videos captured by its three outdoor cameras.
