Two extremely bright meteors, or fireballs (space fragments of comets), entered the Earth’s atmosphere at great speed and exploded, creating a spectacular light phenomenon. This is reported by IFLScience.
One of the comet fragments, entering the atmosphere, caused a powerful flash of light at an altitude of several dozen kilometers above the Earth’s surface. The fireball flew over the Iberian Peninsula and exploded over the territory of Portugal. The event occurred on November 2. It was recorded by the meteor observation station located in Casas de Mijas (Spain), which is operated by the European Space Agency.
According to researchers, the meteor entered the atmosphere at a steep angle. It was first recorded at an altitude of about 97 kilometers over central Portugal, after which it flew about 80 kilometers, moving at a speed of about 81,000 km/h.
While passing through the atmosphere, the space rock heated up to several thousand degrees Celsius and exploded at an altitude of about 43 kilometers. About an hour earlier, another meteor flew close to the explosion site. Scientists believe that both fireballs are fragments of a comet.
Currently, there is a favorable period for the appearance of fireballs – in early November, the Taurid meteor shower, which consists of fragments of Comet Encke, peaks in activity. However, researchers suggest that the recorded fireballs do not belong to this stream, but are probably the remains of another comet.
