Japanese astronomer Daichi Fujii captured this shot of a meteorite impacting the moon (bright flash at bottom left) on Feb. 23, 2023.
A Japanese astronomer captured the telltale flash of a meteorite impacting the moon, causing a brief flash on our celestial neighbor's nightside.
Daichi Fujii, curator of the Hiratsuka City Museum, recorded the event using cameras set to monitor the moon.
The time of the flash was 20:14:30.8 Japan Standard Time (7:14 a.m. EST, or 1114 GMT) on Feb. 23. The meteorite appears to have struck near Ideler L crater, slightly northwest of Pitiscus crater, Fujii said.
This bright bolide was spotted over Spain on March 8, at 23:15 local time (equivalent to 22:15 universal time). The fireball was observed by a wide number of casual eyewitnesses, who reported it on social networks.
The event was generated by a rock (a meteoroid) from a comet that hit the atmosphere at about 80,000 km/h. It overflew the province of Jaén (south of Spain). It began at an altitude of about 79 km over Villacarrillo (province of Jaén), moved northwest, and ended at a height of around 44 km over Aldeaquemada (province of Jaén).
This bright meteor was recorded in the framework of the SMART project, operated by the Southwestern Europe Meteor Network (SWEMN) from the meteor-observing stations located at La Hita (Toledo), Calar Alto, Sierra Nevada, and La Sagra (Granada). The event has been analyzed by the principal investigator of the SMART project: Dr. Jose M. Madiedo, from the Institute of Astrophysics of Andalusia (IAA-CSIC).
This bright bolide was spotted from Spain on March 2, at 4:56 local time (equivalent to 3:56 universal time). It overflew Morocco and was almost as bright as the full Moon. The event was generated by a rock (a meteoroid) from a comet that hit the atmosphere at about 238,000 km/h. The fireball began at an altitude of about 120 km over Tizi Ntassa, moved northwest, and ended at a height of around 84 km over the locality of Zawyat Ribat.
This bright meteor was recorded in the framework of the SMART project, operated by the Southwestern Europe Meteor Network (SWEMN) from the meteor-observing stations located at Huelva, La Hita (Toledo), Calar Alto, Sierra Nevada, La Sagra (Granada), Sevilla, and El Aljarafe (Sevilla). The event has been analyzed by the principal investigator of the SMART project: Dr. Jose M. Madiedo, from the Institute of Astrophysics of Andalusia (IAA-CSIC).
This bright bolide was spotted over Spain on March 2, at 22:39 local time (equivalent to 21:39 universal time). The fireball was observed by a wide number of casual eyewitnesses, who reported it on social networks.
The event was generated by a rock (a meteoroid) from an asteroid that hit the atmosphere at about 97,000 km/h. The fireball overflew the provinces of Almería, Granada, and Jaén (Spain). It began at an altitude of about 101 km over the locality of Chirivel (province of Almería), moved northwest, and ended at a height of around 41 km over the locality of Arroyo Frío (province of Jaén).
This bright meteor was recorded in the framework of the SMART project, operated by the Southwestern Europe Meteor Network (SWEMN) from the meteor-observing stations located at Ayora (Valencia), Huelva, La Hita (Toledo), Calar Alto, Sierra Nevada, La Sagra (Granada), Sevilla, and El Aljarafe (Sevilla). The event has been analyzed by the principal investigator of the SMART project: Dr. Jose M. Madiedo, from the Institute of Astrophysics of Andalusia (IAA-CSIC).
NBC Bay Area viewers shared videos recorded early Thursday morning showing a meteor lighting up the pitch-black sky.
One of the videos from a viewer in Vallejo shows a streaking light come into frame before lighting up the night sky.
Another video recorded by a viewer in San Ramon shows a similar sight.
Astronomer Gerald McKeegan with Chabot Space and Science Center confirmed the fireball was indeed a meteor, saying it likely started out as a small asteroid in space before burning up when it entered the atmosphere.
A log of unconfirmed and pending "fireball reports" from the American Meteor Society shows other residents across the Bay Area spotted the meteor after 2:20 a.m. Thursday.
