A fireball produced by a meteoroid following a retrograde orbit

Abstract

One of the systems employed by the SPanish Meteor Network (SPMN) to perform a continuous monitoring of meteor and fireball activity is based on high-sensitivity CCD video cameras. These devices have been commonly used for the determination, for instance, of radiant, orbital and photometric parameters [1, 2, 3]. Besides, they are also suitable for meteor spectroscopy [3]. When properly configured, these cameras are also able to work under twilight conditions. This is one advantage with respect to slowscan CCD systems, as this allows extending the operation period to some minutes before sunset and after sunrise. Here we analyze a double-station sporadic fireball recorded in the morning twilight of July 7, 2011.