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Fireball 5

'Lightning' on Venus is actually meteors burning up in planet's atmosphere, study says

But future missions, scientists say, are safe from both rare lightning strikes and meteors known to burn up high above the planet's clouds.
Venus
© FutureVenus as clicked by the Akatsuki orbiter in March 2018.
The thick, acid-rich clouds of Venus continue to shroud the planet next door in mystery.

Scientists have long-debated whether intriguing light flashes recorded by previous Venus missions are evidence of lightning strikes on the planet. If those flashes really represent lightning, future missions to the windy planet need to be designed such that they are strong enough to survive the bolts, which are known to damage electronics here on Earth.

Moreover, lightning on Venus means Earth's cosmic neighbor would join the rare planetary club whose current members — Earth, Jupiter and Saturn — host lightning bolts in their clouds. Such flickers of light would also be unique on the world in that they'd exist despite Venus' clouds lacking water, a substance considered key in creating electrical charges.

So, scientists are excited by the possibility of lightning on Venus — but the evidence so far has been circumstantial at best.

And now, a new study suggests lightning might be extremely rare on the planet. Instead, it offers the possibility that meteors burning up high in Venus' atmosphere are very likely responsible for the detected light flashes.

Fireball

Astronomer captures bright flash in Jupiter's atmosphere

This flash one of the brightest ever recorded on the giant gas planet, was observed last month.
Fireball on Jupiter
© Tweeted by @theshantanumumFlashes like these are caused by asteroids or comets.
An amateur Japanese astronomer Tadao Ohsugi spotted a bright flash in Jupiter's atmosphere. This flash one of the brightest ever recorded on the giant gas planet, was observed last month.

According to a New York Times report, the astronomer sent an email to Dr. Ko Arimatsu, an astronomer at Kyoto University. Upon receiving the email, Dr. Arimatsu put a call out for more information. The media report said that flashes like these are caused by asteroids or comets from the edges of our solar system that impact Jupiter's atmosphere.

Dr. Arimatsu received six more reports of the August 28 flash. Dr. Arimatsu told NYT, "Direct observation of these bodies is virtually impossible, even with advanced telescopes," Dr. Arimatsu wrote in an email. But Jupiter's gravity lures in these objects, which eventually slam into the planet, "making it a unique and invaluable tool for studying them directly."

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Meteor fireball over France on September 16

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© Patrick R
We received 23 reports about a fireball seen over Île-de-France, Centre-Val de Loire, Grand Est, Hauts-de-France, Normandie and Pays de la Loire on Saturday, September 16th 2023 around 21:17 UT.

For this event, we received 2 videos and one photo.


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Meteor fireball over the Netherlands and nearby countries on September 16

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We received 45 reports about a fireball seen over Brandenburg, Drenthe, Flevoland, Friesland, Gelderland, Groningen, Hamburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Niedersachsen, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Oblast Vladimir, Overijssel and Schleswig-Holstein on Saturday, September 16th 2023 around 18:28 UT.

For this event, we received one video.


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Meteor fireball over Minnesota and nearby states on September 14

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We received 76 reports about a fireball seen over IA, IL, IN, KS, MI, MN, MO and WI on Friday, September 15th 2023 around 04:51 UT.

For this event, we received 4 videos.


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Stunning meteor fireball over Spain (Sept. 13)

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The impressive fireball in this video was recorded over Spain on September 13, at 4:06 local time (equivalent to 2:06 universal time). It was brighter than the full Moon. The event was generated by a rock (a meteoroid) from an asteroid that hit the atmosphere at about 89,000 km/h. The fireball overflew the provinces of Granada and Jaén (Spain). It began at an altitude of about 100 km over the locality of Moraleda de Zafayona (province of Granada), moved northeast, and ended at a height of around 36 km over the locality of Arbuniel (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 Huelva, La Hita (Toledo), Calar Alto, Sierra Nevada, La Sagra (Granada), and 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).


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Meteor fireball over Italy on September 10

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© Luigi S.
We received 88 reports about a fireball seen over Abruzzo, Calabria, Campania, Dubrovnik-Neretva County, Emilia-Romagna, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Karlovac County, Lazio, Liguria, Logatec, Lombardia, Marche, Molise, Primorje-Gorski Kotar County, Primorsko-goranska županija, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, Puglia, Sardegna and Sic on Sunday, September 10th 2023 around 23:28 UT.

For this event, we received 2 videos and one photo.


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Meteor fireball over Canary Islands, Spain on September 10

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A stunning fireball has been reported in Gran Canary islands, Spain.


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Meteor fireball over France on September 9

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© fernand E.
We received 254 reports about a fireball seen over Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Île-de-France, Baden-Württemberg, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, Bretagne, Centre-Val de Loire, England, Esch-sur-Alzette, Grand Est, Hauts-de-France, Jura, Normandie, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, Occitanie, Pays de la Loire, Piemonte and Provence-Alpes-Côte d'A on Saturday, September 9th 2023 around 22:14 UT.

For this event, we received 2 videos and 6 photos.


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Meteor fireball over Spain (September 8)

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This video shows a stunning bolide recorded on September 8, at 23:40 local time (equivalent to 21:40 universal time). It was almost as bright as the full Moon. 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 57,000 km/h. The fireball overflew the provinces of Málaga, Granada and Córdoba (south of Spain). It began at an altitude of about 88 km over the locality of Archidona (province of Málaga), moved northeast, and ended at a height of around 26 km over the locality of Luque (province of Córdoba).