Bright fireballs over Toledo and Andalusia, Spain

A bright fireball was seen over Toledo and Avila, Spain at 19:51 UTC on April 17, 2024. The fireball was observed by a wide number of casual eyewitnesses, who reported it on social networks. This event follows an impressive fireball over Andalusia on April 14.

The April 17 fireball was recorded in the framework of the SMART project, operated by the Southwestern Europe Meteor Network (SWEMN) from the meteor-observing stations located at Huelva, La Hita (Toledo), Calar Alto, Sierra Nevada, La Sagra (Granada), and Sevilla.

According to the analysis carried out by Dr. Jose M. Madiedo (principal investigator of the SMART project), from the Institute of Astrophysics of Andalusia (IAA-CSIC), the event was generated by a rock (a meteoroid) from an asteroid that hit the atmosphere at about 69 000 km/h (42 900 mph).

The fireball overflew the provinces of Toledo and Avila. It began at an altitude of about 84 km (52 miles) over the locality of San Martín de Montalbán, Toledo, moved northwest, and ended at a height of around 40 km (25 miles) over the locality of Hontanares in the province of Avila.

This event follows an impressive fireball over Andalusia, Spain at 00:35 UTC on April 14.

An analysis by Professor Madiedo determined that this fireball also had an asteroidal origin.

The object hit our atmosphere at a speed of 65 000 km/h (40 400 mph). The luminous part of the event started at an altitude of 90 km (56 miles) just above the Malaga and Granada border. The meteoroid moved northeastward, crossed Granada province, and finished at an altitude of 25 km (15 miles) above Jaen province.

Featured image credit: caha.es