© FRIPON
The bolide of February 12, 2018, 05:06 min UT, recorded with FRIPON cameras located at Vannes (left), Nantes (middle) and Angers (right).
A bolide (meteor brighter than the planet Venus) was captured over western France on Tuesday, February 12, at 06h 06min 30s (French local time, or 05h 06min 30s UT). According to
Vigie-Ciel the object was recorded by cameras of the FRIPON network (Fireball Recovery and Interplanetary Observation Network) and initial analysis indicates the bolide entered the atmosphere almost vertical above the city of Nantes, with a trajectory roughly East-West.
The American Meteor Society (AMS) has received over
75 reports of this event, some from parts of the UK. Some witnesses describe the event as having "a trail of fire",
Ouest-France reports. "She arrived suddenly. It made a kind of white trail, and at the end of the trajectory, like a small implosion. It was very impressive, I wondered if it was not a plane, even a UFO! " says Jason, living in Saint-Senoux (35), who viewed the scene from the window of his room.
© AMS
Location map of people who reported their testimony of the meteor fireball on Monday, February 12th.
Comment: Here are some fireball sightings that occurred just in the last two weeks:
- Bolide captured over western France
- Fireball seen over Oregon, Washington and British Columbia
- Beach cam captures meteor fireball lighting up the skies over Dawlish, UK
- Possible meteor fireball reported in southeast Newfoundland
- 'Meteorite ball of fire' spotted in night skies of Horsham, UK
- Meteor fireball reported over western skies in the US
- Oklahoma City resident captures meteor fireball on dash cam
Also See: Michigan Meteor Event: Fireball Numbers Increased Again in 2017