Reports of fireballs have been filling the news headlines, even before the massive event in Russia on February 15. As part of the Near Earth Object Program, NASA has launched a Fireball and Bolide Reports website. So far the only entry is the Russian fireball, but the website should serve as a useful reference for future events. They do not intend the site to be a complete list of fireballs and bolides, only the brightest.
The site defines fireballs and bolides as “exceptionally bright meteors that are spectacular enough to be seen over a very wide area.” The site goes on to explain, “Fireballs that explode in the atmosphere are technically referred to as bolides although the terms fireballs and bolides are often used interchangeably.”
NASA’s website claims that the February fireball in Russia this year was the largest reported since the famous Tunguska incident in 1908.
Visit NASA’s Fireball and Bolide Reports at: http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/fireballs/
