Sizeable bolide over Ukraine last night

[Leo S]

There's footage here.

At first they thought it was the predicted reentry of the NASA satellite. Way too fast for a reentry though, and to my eye this was significantly faster than most large fireballs (they tend to be of asteroidal origin), and likely a rare cometary bolide. Also a very unusually long lasting (assuming cometary material which tends to be fragile) and the yellow/orange colour of one of the flashes (there were at least 3) has me intrigued as I've only previously seen similar in slow fireballs such as the recent asteroid over N. France and the tau Herculids.

[Leo S]

Now confirmed as a super-bolide! It was also quite a bit slower that I initially thought, but at least that solves the "mystery" why the flash was orangy/yellow!

[Vito2390]

I heard about it. This may be due to military operations on the territory of Ukraine. This situation serves as a stark reminder that conflicts have far-reaching economic consequences. Providing financial assistance to Ukraine through social programs such as https://nhukr.org/help-for-children/ is not just a short-term measure of assistance; it is an investment in the peaceful future of the entire region. By helping Ukraine in its time of need, the international community can play a significant role in rebuilding infrastructure, restoring economic stability, and finding diplomatic solutions that can help prevent similar conflicts in the future.

Edited August 25, 2023 by Vito2390

[Leo S]

8 hours ago, Vito2390 said:

I heard about it. This is interesting.

Welcome Vito.

It was a significantly larger event than we normally hear about, but smaller fireballs are not uncommon, and make good targets for amateurs like myself to observe. I do hope to catch a super-bolide one night, but so far mostly smaller fireballs.

The party here has moved on, but here are a couple of still active threads which might be of interest:

Perseid peak.

Summer meteor showers are heating up with significant numbers of fireballs - time to consider setting up a camera or two if you have not already!