A bright fireball lit up the night sky last night around 9 PM, drawing a lot of attention as it was visible from many locations in Croatia.
Following a number of inquiries received from citizens, the Croatian Astronomical Union put up an announcement on their Facebook page to explain the falling bolide presented no cause for concern and actually burned up in the atmosphere above Italy.
The announcement reads,
‘Given the large number of reports and queries from citizens, we wish to inform you that on March 5th 2022, around 8:55 PM, a bright fireball (bolide) was observed from numerous locations in Croatia. The cosmic body likely originated from the Asteroid belt and burned up in the atmosphere somewhere above central Italy. The fireball (bolide) lasted for about 10 seconds; observed from our parts, it was brighter than the new crescent Moon, meaning that it was probably much brighter than the full Moon when observed from the point it flew over. The Croatian and Global Meteor Networks recorded the phenomenon and we can say that the body probably weighed a few kilograms as it entered the Earth’s atmosphere, and after it’s done burning, if there is anything left of the body, it will be a few dozen grams of material from space. Further analyses, along with a search in case it is determined that a meteorite has fallen, will be carried out by our colleagues from the Italian Meteor Network, given that the event occurred in Italy.’
Here’s a video showing the falling fireball:
