The attention of thousands of people was directed to heaven on two recent occasions by two different Fireballs visible across much of SpainIn one, the protagonist was the wreckage of a space launch vehicle; in the other, a meteor from the Perseid meteor shower.
For those who witnessed it, the flash was overwhelming, but the scientific explanation is clear: on the night of August 10, the glow was due to space debris that re-entered the atmosphere, while on August 8 the brilliant stroke corresponded to a fireball of cometary origin.
What was seen on the night of August 10
Shortly before midnight (23:49, peninsular time), numerous witnesses recorded a long, luminous, fragmented trail which crossed the south and southeast of the Peninsula and headed towards the Balearic Islands.
Records place the beginning of the phenomenon at about 118 km altitude over the Atlantic, with an approximate speed of 29.000 km/h and a route greater than the 900 km through Andalusia, Murcia and southern Alicante.
The look, with multiple incandescent pieces advancing in a group, fits with a artificial object reentry, very different from the brief traces left by natural meteors.
The event was catalogued in the scientific network database as SWEMN20250810_214958, an identifier that allows for detailed analysis by monitoring teams.
Reentry confirmed: the fourth stage of the Jielong-3 rocket
Initial analyses pointed to a artificial object and several options were considered, including remains of commercial satellites, but the subsequent study specified the origin: it was the fourth stage of the Chinese Jielong-3 rocket, released on August 8.
According to researcher José María Madiedo (IAA-CSIC, SMART Project), the body became incandescent and fragmented by friction with the air, generating the bright fireball that so many mobile phones captured.
The trajectory continued northeast towards the Mediterranean and, if any piece survives, it is most likely that ended up falling into the sea, far from inhabited areas.
These types of reentries are becoming more visible to the public, and although they rarely pose a risk, They recall the presence of debris in orbit and the need to manage them.
How it was registered: the SMART network and other observatories
The reentry on the 10th was captured by the SMART Project detectors, coordinated by the Institute of Astrophysics of Andalusia (IAA-CSIC), which operates within the Southwest European Fireball and Meteor Network (SWEMN).
The stations of Huelva, La Hita (Toledo), Calar Alto (Almería), Sierra Nevada (Granada), Seville, Faro de Cullera (Valencia) and Otura (Granada) provided key data for reconstruct the trajectory and velocities.
The Calar Alto Observatory recalled that similar reentries have already been observed in Spain, such as that of a pitcher who created a peculiar spiral trail months ago.
This network of observatories, cameras and algorithms makes it possible to quickly differentiate whether a flash corresponds to space junk or a natural fireball.
Two days earlier, a spectacular Perseid
On Friday, August 8, at 21:55 p.m., the SWEMN Network recorded a very bright fireball associated with the Perseid meteor shower, visible from the Valencian Community, Castilla-La Mancha and Murcia.
The rock, detached from the comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle, entered the atmosphere at about 217.000 km/h, becoming incandescent due to the sudden friction.
The journey began at about 116 km above Jarafuel (Valencia), advanced towards the southwest over the province of Albacete and was extinguished with a strong flash at about 86 km above Los Arejos (Murcia).
In total he traveled about 182 km and could be seen from more than 600 km away, a typical signature of the brightest fireballs on Perseid nights.
Experts classified it as grazing rocket, that is, a meteor that enters almost tangentially and moves parallel to the ground, disintegrating completely without reaching the ground.
How to distinguish a reentry from a meteor
There are clues that help to differentiate: reentries of human objects They tend to be slower to the eye, leave long trails and show multiple fragments moving forward together.
Los natural meteors They are extremely fast, their brightness lasts one or two seconds and, except for occasional explosions, they do not fragment into several points visible at the same time.
Color also provides guidance: the metallic remains of a rocket can show orange tones and variations by the combustion of materials, while a meteor maintains a more uniform path.
In August both scenarios came together over Spain: on the 10th, a reentry of a Jielong-3; on the 8th, a Perseid fireball of great luminosity, two different spectacles under the same popular term: "fireball."
With data verified by observation networks and citizen testimonies, it became clear what was seen each night: first a Perseid meteor & AFTER the controlled reentry of a rocket remnant, two different phenomena that shared the stage and amazement.
