Watch: Falling Starlink satellite creates dazzling sky show, confused for meteor shower
- by Indiatimes
- Nov 12, 2024
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Nov 12, 2024, 15:57 IST
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Residents across several southwestern states witnessed a brilliant fireball event over the weekend. Experts identified the fiery spectacle as the re-entry of a SpaceX Starlink satellite, launched in 2022, burning up upon re-entering the Earth's atmosphere.
Several people in the Southwest US spotted a dazzling fireball that seemed like a shooting star but it was actually a human-made SpaceX Starlink internet satellite while re-entering the Earth's atmosphere.
The American Meteor Society received numerous sightings from Colorado, Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas residents regarding a luminous event occurring overnight between Saturday and Sunday, the Fox News reported.
The visual documentation shows a brilliant trail containing multiple illuminated fragments traversing the sky, with some observers likening the spectacle to "fireworks."
So the people from US four states mistaken it for ongoing meteor shower.
The footage shown above was captured in Frisco, Texas.
Astronomer and space debris specialist Jonathan McDowell identified the phenomenon as a SpaceX Starlink communications satellite, launched as part of a group in 2022.
SpaceX operates a constellation of thousands of Starlink satellites in Earth orbit, providing worldwide internet connectivity. These satellites are specifically designed for
atmospheric re-entry upon mission completion to reduce space debris in low-Earth orbit.
On social platform X, McDowell noted the satellite's descent path over Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado and Oklahoma, stating it "appears to have been widely observed."
This atmospheric display coincides with ongoing meteor activity, including the Leonids and both Southern and Northern Taurids meteor showers, which reach their peak viewing periods in November.
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