It could be a rare atmospheric phenomenon associated with a boreal dawn. But it was fuel from a Chinese rocket.
It was a moment that surprised astronomers, space observers, the ordinary citizen. A huge light track, visible (very visible), passed through the sky at various points of the USA.
It happened a few days ago, on May 17th. And it quickly became a “mysterious ray of light to cut the sky at night,” as described.
It could be a Steve, the English acronym for Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancementa strong increase in thermal emission speed. It is a rare, bright atmospheric phenomenon that can accompany the boreal auroras.
But the experts soon realized that it could not be that. The characteristics were not all there.
After all, it was… a Chinese rocket.
About an hour earlier, Chinese company Landscape launched its Zhuque-2e rocket from Jiuquan.
This rocket served to put six satellites in orbit but, when it reached about 250 kilometers in altitude, it performed a “Fuel eviction”, according to the astronomer Jonathan McDowell.
The ejected fuel frozen In a range of crystals that then reflected sunlight back to Earth, thus appearing under a huge white strip in the sky.
Some photographers captured the moment. Mike Lewinski described: “The dawn ripped low on the north horizon when suddenly a radius of bright light, which remembered the reentry of a rocket, appeared loudly in the sky and descended toward the horizon.”
Derick Wilson, used to photographing Auroras Boreais, also captured the clear track: “The dawn was visible but colorless … Then it was the brightest vision I ever saw in the night sky appeared high!”.
Photographer Tyler Schlitt described: “Finding out that it is a launch of a China rocket is amazing!”
It was a case that remembered the confusion created by Spacex’s Falcon 9 rockets, which created stunning spiral patterns that spin through the sky – some citizens thought it was something supernatural.
