By Alastair McBeath
Contents
Introduction
Fireball reports, especially those made from the British Isles and nearby areas, are always welcomed by the SPA Meteor Section. See the Making and Reporting Fireball Observations page on this website for details of what to record on seeing a fireball, where and how to report your data.
Below is a list of some of the fireballs reported to the Section from 2002. It mainly consists of those events seen away from the major meteor shower maxima (when fireballs are more common), unless the objects were not part of the meteor shower in question, or were particularly impressive. A "*" in the ‘Magnitude and Notes’ column indicates further details are given in the second table.
Table of all Fireball Reports
| Date | Time (UT) | Magnitude and Notes | Observed from |
| 02/01/15-16 | 17:11 +/- 1m | Bright; 2 reports | Hants & Oxon |
| 02/01/17-18 | 19:15 | -10/-15?; slow; fragmented* | Netherlands; several reports |
| 02/02/3-4 | ~06:49 | Bright | Near Edinburgh |
| 02/02/4-5 | ~06:50 | Very bright; 3 reports | Borders, Teesside & N Yorks |
| 02/02/8-9 | ~01:29 | -8/-10?; fragmented; 3 reports | Midlands & S Yorks |
| 02/03/7-8 | ~22:37 | Brilliant; seen from indoors | Middlesex |
| 02/03/9-10 | 22:58 | -4/-5 | Derbyshire |
| 02/03/13-14 | 19:54 +/- 2m | -5/-6; 4 reports | Cheshire, N Yorks, Northumberland |
| 02/04/6-7 | 20:20:18 | -18; imaged; many reports* | Germany, Czech Republic, Austria |
| 02/04/6-7 | 00:28 | -8/12; 10 UK reports* | UK, Netherlands, Belgium |
| 02/04/6-7 | 03:56 | Very bright; 3 reports* | N England & SW Scotland |
| 02/04/7-8 | 02:55 | Very bright | Fife |
| 02/04/10-11 | 19:30 | Very bright; over North Sea | Denmark |
| 02/04/21-22 | ~19:50 | -7?; 2 reports | Dorset & Devon |
| 02/05/1-2 | ~20:35 | -4/-6?; very long sky-track | Wiltshire |
| 02/06/21-22 | ~22:00 | Very bright | Worcestershire |
| 02/06/22-23 | ~21:30 | -4/-5; in twilight; 4 reports | Oxon, Bucks & W Midlands |
| 02/07/9-10 | ~20:50 | Bright; in strong twilight | Sussex |
| 02/07/28-29 | 22:58 | -4 or so | Leicester |
| 02/08/4-5 | 23:01 | Very bright; persistent train | Kent |
| 02/08/12-13 | 22:01 | Bright; PER; 9 reports* | SE England |
| 02/08/20-21 | ~22:10 | -8; green; 2 reports* | Shropshire & N Ireland |
| 02/09/7-8 | 20:25 | Very bright; green; 2 reports | Essex & Isle of Wight |
| 02/09/8-9 | 21:14 | Bright | Dumfries |
| 02/09/13-14 | 20:43 | -3/-5; yellow-blue | Cardiff |
| 02/10/4-5 | ~19:00 | Bright | Worcestershire |
| 02/10/5-6 | ~01:10 | Very bright | Northumberland |
| 02/10/5-6 | 04:53 +/- 1m | -12/-15; 16 reports* | England & Belgium |
| 02/11/1-2 | 01:04 | -7? | E Midlands |
| 02/11/6-7 | 18:10 | Bright; possible Taurid | Northumberland |
| 02/11/6-7 | 06:25 | Very bright | Cheshire |
| 02/12/4-5 | 19:17 +/- 2m | -5/-8; green; 6 reports* | S England |
| 02/12/17-18 | 16:51 +/- 1m | -4/-8; green; 8 reports* | England S of Lancs |
| 02/12/17-18 | 20:42 | Bright* | NW England |
| 02/12/17-18 | ~00:30 | Brilliant; seen from indoors* | S Wales |
| 02/12/18-19 | 06:29 +/- 1m | -5/-10; slow; 11 reports* | S England & S Wales |
| 02/12/24-25 | ? | Brilliant; media reports only | Aberdeenshire |
Detailed Reports
| Date | Time (UT) | Notes | Details |
| 02/01/17-18 | 19:15 | -10/-15?; slow; fragmented*; Netherlands; several reports | The brilliant January 17-18 fireball was reported from several places on the near-Continent as well as the Netherlands, and it seems to have passed over the Holland-Germany border area. Poor skies reduced the utility and quantity of the sightings, and none were reported from the UK, though people in SE England especially, had they had clearer skies, might have spotted it low in the sky. |
| 02/04/6-7 | 20:20:18 | -18; imaged; many reports*; Germany, Czech Republic, Austria | A Special Report is available elsewhere on this site for the three fireballs seen on April 6-7. |
| 02/04/6-7 | 00:28 | -8/12; 10 UK reports*; UK, Netherlands, Belgium | |
| 02/04/6-7 | 03:56 | Very bright; 3 reports*; N England & SW Scotland | |
| 02/08/12-13 | 22:01 | Bright; PER; 9 reports*; SE England | Although the Perseid fireball on August 12-13 was not unusual near the shower’s maximum, the number of sightings of it was. Unfortunately, few of the lucky observers were able to provide accurate details on its sky-position, and no further details on it could be established. |
| 02/08/20-21 | ~22:10 | -8; green; 2 reports*; Shropshire & N Ireland | The August 20-21 fireball may have passed high above the Irish Sea or the extreme east of Ireland. More sightings were made from Ireland, as collected by the Irish Astronomical Association. |
| 02/10/5-6 | 04:53 +/- 1m | -12/-15; 16 reports*; England & Belgium | A Special Report is available elsewhere on this site for the ~04:53 UT fireball on October 5-6, which flew over part of the Franco-Belgian border. It was thought initially to have been an unidentified man-made re-entry event, but it later transpired it had been an extremely slow-moving natural fireball. |
| 02/12/4-5 | 19:17 +/- 2m | -5/-8; green; 6 reports*; S England | The relative cluster of fireballs on December 17-18 and 18-19 was unusual, though the objects seemed not to have had a single source. What details could be established for the three multiply-observed fireballs from December 4-5, 17-18 and 18-19 are available in a Special Report elsewhere on this site. |
| 02/12/17-18 | 16:51 +/- 1m | -4/-8; green; 8 reports*; England S of Lancs | |
| 02/12/17-18 | ~00:30 | Brilliant; seen from indoors*; S Wales | |
| 02/12/18-19 | 06:29 +/- 1m | -5/-10; slow; 11 reports*; S England & S Wales |
Prepared by Alastair McBeath, SPA Meteor Section Director.