Fire in the Sky

Meteor fireball over the south of Spain on September 3

Meteoroides.net
Thu, 03 Sep 2020 18:03 UTC

This beautiful meteor overflew the south of Spain on 2020 September 3 at about 2:35 local time (equivalent to 0:35 universal time). It was generated by a rock (a meteoroid) from an asteroid that hit the atmosphere at around 97,000 km/h. It began at an altitude of about 80 km over the Gulf of Cadiz (Atlantic Ocean), and ended at a height of around 44 km over the sea level.

The event was recorded in the framework of the SMART project, which is being conducted by the Southwestern Europe Meteor Network (SWEMN). The event was spotted from the meteor-observing stations located at Sevilla, La Sagra (Granada), La Hita (Toledo), and Calar Alto.

Pennies from heaven: Meteorites worth thousands of dollars rain upon Brazilian town

Andrei Dergalin
Sputnik international
Tue, 01 Sep 2020 16:39 UTC

The largest chunk of the meteorite, weighing about 40 kilograms, is reportedly worth around $26,000.

Residents of a remote town in northeastern Brazil called Santa Filomena recently received an unexpected bonanza when chunks of a meteorite believed to be 4.6 billion-year-old started falling "like rain" from the sky on 19 August, the Daily Mail reports.

According to the newspaper, the meteorite was a "rare chondrite which dates back to the origins of the Solar System", and whose fragments turned out to be quite valuable, with the biggest chunk, weighing about 40 kilograms, being worth over £20,000 ($26,000) - "the same as 10 years' worth of the average salary in the area".

"The price is getting close to 40 reals (£5.50) per gramme, and it's getting higher. Only a few days ago it was half that", said Edimar da Costa Rodrigues, a 20-year old student who discovered one of the fragments. "Ninety percent of the town's population are farmers. There aren't many shops, nothing that generates jobs. It's a humble place, with people on a low wage. Most people think it's a really good thing. Lots of people have found a rock, and it has come at a time when many really need some money to pay the bills".

Comment: Other reported meteor impacts so far this year include:

Another meteorite-like object falls from sky in Rajasthan, India (June 2020)
Investigators confirm meteorite discovery in El Empalme, Ecuador (April 2020)
Massive explosion leaves giant crater in Akure, Nigeria, dozens of buildings damaged - UPDATE: Expert suspects METEOR IMPACT (March 2020)
Three fiery meteorites reportedly hit ground in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, India (March 2020)
Meteorite hit a factory compound in Alwar, Rajasthan, India (February 2020)

Mystery as massive boom shakes homes across Merseyside, UK

Jess Molyneux
Liverpool Echo
Thu, 27 Aug 2020 17:05 UTC

Homes across Kirkby and beyond reportedly had "lights flicker" and "windows rattle" after a massive bang woke residents up.

Dozens of people said they heard what sounded like an "explosion" in the early hours of this morning, around 1am.

Kirkby resident Lesley Parr told the Echo her social media was full of people talking about the "total mystery", with many left scratching their heads as to what the sound was.

She said: "It was heard all over Kirkby, Fazakerley, Huyton, Stockbridge Village, Knowsley Village etc.

"I'm off Ribblers Lane, we saw flashing blue lights in the close next to us so my nosy boys took a walk over with the dog.

Stunning meteor fireball seen in Missouri, Illinois, Iowa and Michigan

Sean Martin
Express, UK
Wed, 26 Aug 2020 18:09 UTC

Residents of Missouri, Illinois, Iowa and Michigan all reported seeing a bright fireball blasting through the sky on August 19. Stunned onlookers spotted the astronomical phenomenon, and headed in their droves to the website of the International Meteor Organisation (IMO) to report their sightings.

Chris said: "It came straight down on a vertical trajectory and slowed down as it approached the tops of the tree line, very bright green with bright white sparks coming off it. Amazing sighting!

Timothy added: "It was so bright that we could see it from inside the house with all the lights on.

"It lasted long enough to alert another person to turn around and look at it and they saw it for several seconds."

Meteor fireball lights up night sky over Greece

Tasos Kokkinidis
Greek Reporter
Wed, 19 Aug 2020 00:52 UTC

A meteor burned up on the night skies over Greece on Tuesday evening, creating a spectacular fireball clearly visible in many parts of the country.

The scene was captured on video by a camera belonging to kopaida.gr in Livadia, central Greece. Many social media users hurried to report that they also got a glimpse of the impressive phenomenon.

Meteors are from small space debris, frequently only millimeters in size. Most meteoroids that enter the Earth's atmosphere are so small that they vaporize completely and never reach the planet's surface. When they burn up during their descent, they create a beautiful trail of light known as a meteor, sometimes called a shooting star.

Amateur skywatcher spots 'huge green' meteor fireball over Union, Oregon

Dick Mason
La Grand Observer
Thu, 20 Aug 2020 00:19 UTC

Stock image

Crystal McClurg, an amateur astronomer since she was a child, knows what to expect when she looks up at the night sky.

At 12:50 a.m. Sunday, however, she saw the unexpected.

McClurg, looking west from her home in Union, observed an object racing across the night sky. It then appeared to crash into a mountain west of La Grande.

"It was a huge green fireball," McClurg said. "Then it turned yellow and broke apart into four or five pieces."

The Union resident, who was alone, then let her emotions get the best of her.

Loud home-rattling boom heard across west Cornwall, UK

Charlotte Becquart
Cornwall Live
Thu, 20 Aug 2020 00:06 UTC

A loud explosion has been reported by hundreds of people across Cornwall today.

The bang, which "sounded like a bomb", according to locals, was heard at about 9.30am in west Cornwall between the Camborne and Helston areas.

Residents said they felt vibrations that "rattled through" their homes.

Dozens of people suggested it could have been a sonic boom by a Hawk jet from RNAS Culdrose.

Meteor fireball over the south of Spain on August 22

Meteoroides.net
Sat, 22 Aug 2020 14:06 UTC

This stunning and slow meteor overflew the south of Spain on 2020 August 22 at about 4:02 local time (equivalent to 2:02 universal time). It was generated by a rock (a meteoroid) from an asteroid that hit the atmosphere at around 62,000 km/h. It began at an altitude of about 95 km over the Mediterranean Sea, and ended at a height of around 27 km over the province of

The event was recorded in the framework of the SMART project (Institute of Astrophysics of Andalusia, IAA-CSIC), which is being conducted by the Southwestern Europe Meteor Network (SWEMN). The event was spotted from the meteor-observing stations located at Sevilla, Sierra Nevada and Calar Alto.

Like a full moon: 2nd meteor fireball since July 2 dazzles Japan's skies

Masaobu Higashiyama
The Asahi Shimbun
Sat, 22 Aug 2020 13:44 UTC

© Atom teck. Inc.
A spectacular fireball over the Kanto region is captured by a camera set up in Yokohama by Atom teck. Inc. on the evening of Aug. 21.

A spectacular fireball lit up the sky over the Kanto region around 10:30 p.m. on Aug. 21.

Experts speculated that the meteor came in over the Pacific in Kanagawa Prefecture and fell on the southern part of the Boso Peninsula in Chiba Prefecture next to Tokyo.

A camera set up in Yokohama by Atom tech. Inc., a company that develops network camera apparatus, captured the dazzling fireball in all its glory.

Daichi Fujii, a curator at the Hiratsuka City Museum, said it was as bright as a full moon.

Flashing meteor seen over western Croatia during Perseids

Xinhua
Sat, 22 Aug 2020 02:21 UTC

This long-time exposure photo taken on Aug. 12, 2020 shows a flashing meteor during the Perseid Meteor Shower in the starry sky above Istria County of western Croatia.