Fireball over Portugal (Jan. 2) // Bola de fuego sobre Portugal (2 de enero)

This bolide was spotted over Spain on January 2, at 7:05 local time (equivalent to 6:05 universal time). The event was generated by a rock (a meteoroid) from a comet that hit the atmosphere at about 209,000 km/h. The fireball overflew Portugal. It began at an altitude of about 120 km over the west of Portugal, on the vertical of a point located between the municipalities of Vila Franca de Xira and Samora Correia, moved northeast, and ended at a height of around 65 km over the center of Portugal, almost over the village of Santa Margarida. 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 Calar Alto, Sierra Nevada, Sevilla, La Sagra (Granada), Huelva, El Aljarafe, and La Hita (Toledo). 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). ----------------------------------------