A potential meteorite-dropping fireball recorded over Spain in 2011

Abstract

Although most meteoroids impacting our atmosphere ablate completely, some fireball events may produce, under favourable conditions, a non-zero terminal mass. In these cases these materials reach the ground as meteorites. By recovering these meteorites we can obtain unique samples coming from other celestial bodies that provide helpful information about the origin and evolution of our Solar System. As a matter of fact, one of the aims of the SPanish Meteor Network (SPMN) is the analysis of potential meteorite- producing fireballs. For this purpose we are performing a continuous monitoring of meteor and fireball activity over Spain and neighbouring countries by means of different recording techniques. We also focus on meteor spectroscopy in order to obtain chemical information from the emission spectrum produced when meteoroids ablate in the atmosphere. In this context, we present here the first results of the analysis of a potential meteorite-dropping event that took place over south-west Spain on March 21, 2011. This was registered in the framework of the continuous spectroscopic campaign we are performing since 2010 from our meteor observing station located at the Sierra Nevada Astronomical Observatory.