Issue |
Astron. Astrophys. Suppl. Ser.
Volume 138, Number 1, July 1999
|
|
---|---|---|
Page(s) | 1 - 9 | |
DOI | https://doi.org/10.1051/aas:1999263 | |
Published online | 15 July 1999 |
Video record (CD copy attached) of the Spain bolide of June 14, 1996: The atmospheric trajectory and orbit
1
Astronomical Observatory “Ramon Maria Aller", University of Santiago de Compostela, Spain e-mail: oadoco@usc.es
2
Astronomical Institute of the Academy of Sciences, 251 65 Ondřejov Observatory, Czech Republic e-mail: ceplecha@asu.cas.cz
Send offprint request to: Z. Ceplecha
Received:
26
November
1998
Accepted:
2
February
1999
On June 14, 1996, a very bright bolide (SP960614) appeared over Galicia,
the NW region of Spain. A casual video record of the bolide flight
is available and its CD ROM copy included in this paper.
We were able to deduce accurate horizontal coordinates
from digitized video-recorded images and combine them with numerous
visual observations. In order to get reasonable data from visual
sightings, we visited all places listed in Table 1 and measured
the corresponding horizontal coordinates. The video record helped also
in sorting the quality of individual visual sightings.
The trajectory computed was very shallow (near horizontal flight), and
in this respect similar to the Peekskill bolide.
The body with initial mass of the order of
104 kg moved with initial velocity of km s-1
and suffered severe gross-fragmentation. Individual larger fragments
are well visible on the video record. Geographical coordinates, heights,
and velocities of the main body are given for individual time instants
during the video recorded part of the trajectory. During this part of
the trajectory a model of gross-fragmentation was applied to the observed
values. Mass loss at discrete trajectory points was responsible for the
majority of the ablation. The orbit of the body was of low eccentricity
and low inclination with aphelion close to the Mars orbit. The most
probable terminal mass (meteorite mass) of the main body was of about 1 kg.
The dark-flight computations are of low accuracy due to the shallow
trajectory, and only a large area of some
km could be
given as possible impact region of meteorites between 0.1 and 10 kg.
The relative positions of individual fragments according to the main body
during the flight are also given.
Key words: meteors, meteoroids
© European Southern Observatory (ESO), 1999