The fireball was spotted travelling over the Mediterranean Sea
The fireball was spotted travelling over the Mediterranean Sea
A fireball has been spotted streaking across the Mediterranean sky.

The phenomenon was created after a rock abruptly came away from an asteroid and entered the Earth's atmosphere in the early hours of yesterday morning.

The fireball appeared at 5.22am and could be seen from the coast of Valencia to the Balearic Islands.

It was captured by sensors installed at the University of Huelva in the Astronomical Complex of La Hita, in La Puebla de Almoradiel, Toledo in Spain.

Professor José María Madievo at the university said in a press release that the fireball had been caused any a rock breaking away from an asteroid.


Analysis by the university said that the rock was travelling at around 8,700 mph (140,000 kmh) which caused it to become incandescent as it created friction with the atmosphere, creating a spectacular light phenomenon as it flew in the direction of the Spanish islands.

The astronomical observatory noted that the fireball started at an altitude of 62 miles (100km) and descended to around 52 miles (32km).

The fireball was tracked flying over the coast of Valencia
The fireball was tracked flying over the coast of Valencia
NASA earlier confirmed dozens of eyewitness accounts in the Tampa Bay area of a fireball streaking across the sky on Tuesday evening.

Amateur video filmed by local residents shows the fireball dramatically appearing to drop out of the sky and then exploding behind cloud cover.

The national space agency said that it had received over 60 reports of the fireball from bay area residents, according to WFTS-TV.

A meteor is seen when comet debris or fragments of an asteroid strike the Earth's atmosphere at high speed.

Intense heat is created by the compression of the air ahead of the meteoroid, which usually causes the object to burn up in the atmosphere.