First big and inmpressive fireball on 2022


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Although  some minor fireball were detected during the first week of 2022, the first really impressive and big fireball, with a brightness that exceeds that of the full moon, happened at 00h18 of January 9th.

pathSMART Project’s detectors operated at Calar Alto (Almería), Sierra Nevada (Granada), La Sagra (Granada), Seville, El Aljarafe, Huelva and La Hita (Toledo), registered this event.

Two of the external cameras of Calar Alto Observatory in Almería also could record this nice object.

Following the preliminary analysis carried out by Professor José María Madiedo (Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía IAA-CSIC), and SMART project's PI, this event had a cometary origin, and was caused by a rock which entered into our atmosphere at an estimated speed of 150.000 km/h..

The luminous part of the event started at an altitude of 104 km above the north of Ronda town (northwest of Málaga province). Then, this fireball moved northwestward, crossing a little part of Cádiz province and entering into Seville province where it finished at an altitude of 31 km to the east of Seville city.

Top left picture shows the path this object followed above the ground.

Below are the videos registered with the external cameras operated at Calar Alto Observatory in Almería.

 


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 (IAA) to track that kind of objects. Specifically, Calar Alto (CAHA) station and the one at Sierra Nevada (IAA-CSIC) constitute a collaboration agreement between the IAA researcher José María Madiedo and both institutions.