The Iberian fireball of 4 January 2004

Abstract

According to the American Meteor Society, 'fireball' is a term for a very bright meteor, generally brighter than magnitude -3 or -4, which is about the same magnitude as the planet Venus viewed in the morning or evening sky. If the fireball explodes in a bright terminal flash, which typically extinguishes with visible fragmentation, it is then known as a 'bolide', from the Greek word for a throwing spear. This paper describes the circumstances of the recent dramatic fireball sighting over the Iberian peninsula. This event provides a textbook example of such an event, with the usual attendant public excitement, media confusion and cultural misconceptions.