Fireball trajectory
A fireball trajectory is the path of a fireball through the atmosphere, worked out from several camera views.
A fireball trajectory describes where a fireball travelled in three dimensions: where it started glowing, the angle of its descent, its speed and deceleration, and where it ended. It is calculated by combining images from cameras at different locations, a technique called triangulation.
With two or more views, the line of the fireball can be fixed in space. Timing the fireball against the background stars, using cameras that interrupt their exposure many times per second, gives the speed. From the trajectory, scientists project the path backwards to find the meteoroid's orbit around the Sun, and forwards to predict where any meteorites fell, taking wind into account during dark flight.
These methods led to the recovery of Winchcombe in 2021, when cameras from UK networks captured the fireball and allowed searchers to target a small area of Gloucestershire. Eyewitness reports and videos from doorbell and dashboard cameras also help refine trajectories.
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