Sighting in Rome, August 16, 2019
Italy
Sighting from an aircraft on August 16, 2019 in Rome (Italy). GEIPAN identified the phenomenon with certainty: it was a meteor or fireball (class A).
What happened
An air traffic controller passed on a report from the pilot of an airliner flying from Rome to Casablanca. On 16 August at 20:37 UT, while flying over Sardinia, the pilot saw a yellow glow with debris moving through the atmosphere.
At that same moment, the air traffic controller in the Bastia tower independently noticed a bright white light.
The investigation established that this was a bolide (a very bright meteor). It had been seen by many witnesses, 104 in all, and was recorded by the IMO (International Meteor Organization). GEIPAN therefore classified the case as A: observation of a bolide.
Account rewritten by SkyUnknown from the investigation report published by GEIPAN (CNES). The original text and case documents are on the official record.
- Date
- August 16, 2019
- Location
- Rome · town centre
- Type of sighting
- From an aircraft
- Source classification
- A
- Explanation
- Meteors and fireballs
Sources
- See the original document
GEIPAN (CNES)
n° 2019-08-50804
Summary written by SkyUnknown from the facts published by the source.