Bright fireball observed over France in 2014

Summary

On January 17, 2014, at 19:05, a driver in the Gard department in southern France witnessed a bright fireball while traveling on the D 6036. For a few seconds, he saw a powerful white sphere with a trailing light streak. No unusual noise was heard, and no other witnesses reported the event to the GEIPAN. However, this phenomenon was simultaneously observed by many people in the eastern half of France, especially in the northeast, and captured by at least four automatic cameras. The object's trajectory was clearly from east to west, and although witnesses felt it was very close, it was actually moving at an altitude between 30 and 87 kilometers. The characteristics of the event, such as its duration and direction, match those of a meteoroid entering Earth's atmosphere. Analysis from the BOAM network cameras confirmed it was a rocky body likely from the asteroid belt. Calculations showed it was traveling at 14 km/s, lasted 6.1 seconds, and had a luminous magnitude of -7, making it clearly visible.

The GEIPAN classified this case as "A", meaning it was an atmospheric entry of a meteoroid. Although no other witnesses were reported in the Gard region, the images and