A fireball spotted over Madrid
- 2 years ago
The European Space Agency posted footage of a meteor that entered Earth's atmosphere at a height of 100 kilometers over Madrid and burned up at 77 kilometers above the Spanish province of Guadalajara, the icy body is thought to have been about 10 cm in size before contact with Earth.
The agency adds it is thought that the Alpha Capricornids meteor shower was created 3 500 to 5 000 years ago when half of Comet 169P/NEAT disintegrated and fell into dust. The comet itself will have formed at the same time as our Solar System, around 4.6 billion years ago.
As these objects collide with Earth’s atmosphere, they burn up as brilliant meteors, the brightest of which are known as fireballs.
The agency adds it is thought that the Alpha Capricornids meteor shower was created 3 500 to 5 000 years ago when half of Comet 169P/NEAT disintegrated and fell into dust. The comet itself will have formed at the same time as our Solar System, around 4.6 billion years ago.
As these objects collide with Earth’s atmosphere, they burn up as brilliant meteors, the brightest of which are known as fireballs.