AN OBSERVATORY in Almeria has released pictures of what it said was rock from a comet entering the Earth’s atmosphere.
The University of Huelva’s Calar Alto telescopes spotted the space debris flying over the provinces of Malaga, Sevilla and Cordoba in the early hours of yesterday (Monday).
It was recorded from the observatory in Almeria as well as at one in La Hita in Toledo and La Sagra in Granada.
These sites are part of the SMART project which records and documents observations of space objects and activity.
Calar Alto said initial analysis from the site’s principal investigator Professor Jose Maria Madiedo showed the ‘fireball’ phenomenon was created when the debris entered the earth’s atmosphere.
The University of Huelva academic’s work found that it was travelling at around 118,000 kilometres per hour.
It was flying around 99 kilometres above ground level when it passed over Malaga Province before crossing the provinces of Sevilla and Cordoba and falling to about 31 kilometres.
