This is the moment a spectacular fireball flew over Spain and Portugal
It could be seen across the entire Iberian Peninsula thanks to its great luminosity and speed, entering the atmosphere at 76,000km/h
A "spectacular" fireball, brighter than the full moon, was seen in the sky over Spain and Portugal on Wednesday, 15 October. It flew over the northern area, but it could be seen from all over the Iberian Peninsula due to its great luminosity.
The phenomenon was observed at 8.38pm (Spanish mainland time) and numerous people reported it on social media.
Professor José María Madiedo of the Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía (IAA-CSIC) said that the sky was illuminated when an asteroid rock entered the Earth's atmosphere at 76,000 kilometres per hour, which caused its surface to get heated. This phenomenon generated a fireball that started at an altitude of about 88 kilometres above the town of Argozelo, Portugal.
From there, it moved to the south-east and ended at an altitude of about 29 kilometres above the town of Villar del Buey, Spain. The rock experienced several explosions along its trajectory, which caused sudden increases in its luminosity. It travelled a total distance of about 70 kilometres in our atmosphere.
The fireball was recorded by the Smart project systems from the detection stations located in La Hita (Toledo), Calar Alto, Sierra Nevada (Granada), Coruña and Marçà (Tarragona).
