Huge Fireball Streaks Across Southern Spain
A huge fireball, “with a brightness that exceeds that of the full moon”, was recorded in the early hours of the 9th January across Southern Spain.
The fireball was recorded streaking across the Andalucian night sky by observatories at Calar Alto (Almería), Sierra Nevada (Granada), La Sagra (Granada) and as far north as La Hita near Toledo.
Preliminary analysis carried out by Professor José María Madiedo of the Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía IAA-CSIC, said that the object was a meteor rock “which entered into our atmosphere at an estimated speed of 150.000 kph.”
The fireball was recorded entering the earth´s atmosphere at “an altitude of 104 km above the north of the town Ronda in the province of Málaga, before moving northwestward, crossing the Andalucian provinces of Cádiz province and burning up at an altitude of 31 km east of the city of Sevilla.
The video footage was taken by external cameras operated at Calar Alto Observatory in Almería.
No injuries were reported on the ground.