On 2 January 2021, at 4h8m33s UT, a fireball as bright as the full Moon was spotted over the south of Spain. This bolide was generated by a meteoroid following a comet-like orbit that hit the atmosphere at about 64 km/s. The fireball began at an altitude of about 113 km over Andalusia (south of Spain), and ended at an altitude of around 58 km. This bright meteor was recorded in the framework of the SMART project, operated by the Southwestern Europe Meteor Network (SWEMN) from the meteor-observing stations located at Sevilla, La Sagra (Granada), and La Hita (Toledo). The event has been analyzed by the principal investigator of the SMART project: Dr. Jose M. Madiedo, from the Institute of Astrophysics of Andalusia (IAA-CSIC).
About The Author
Jose Maria Madiedo
PhD in Astrophysics and PhD in Chemistry. I currently work as Associated Doctor at the Institute of Astrophysics of Andalusia (IAA-CSIC). I am the coordinator of the Southwestern Europe Meteor Network (SWEMN), which operates in Spain and neighbouring areas (www.swemn.org). I am running the SMART Project (Spectroscopy of Meteoroids in the Atmosphere by means of Robotic Technologies). In the framework of this survey I currently operate over 80 high-sensitivity video cameras and spectrographs from 10 different observatories, together with three systems for the detection of radio meteors. I also conduct the MIDAS Project (Moon Impacts Detection and Analysis System) together with the Institute of Astrophysics of Andalusia (IAA), to detect and analyze impact flashes produced by meteoroids that hit the lunar surface.
ISSN 3041-4261
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