Last night at early morning from 20 to 21 June, people from all over Spain saw a curious phenomenon tearing up the sky. Many fireballs of various sizes fell from the sky, creating a breathtaking scene. There were no warnings about meteor showers, comets or anything like that, so all sorts of doubts arose, some of the most conspiratorial. But it was not something supernatural, but the remains of a Chinese rocket during its re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere.
In particular, it was Missile Chang Zheng 2F (CZ-2F)launched by the Chinese Space Agency (CNSA) on June 5 as part of the mission Shenzou 14. Everything went well and his goal of getting 3 taikonauts (as Chinese astronauts are called) to the newly opened space station was achieved. Subsequently, it was assumed that the phases of the Chinese rocket would return to Earth, but it was not known exactly where and how.
The event was captured SMART project cameras, Institute of Astrophysics of Andalusia. Thus, as explained by its lead researcher on YouTube, Jose Maria Madedothey could see that the return of the Chinese rocket had taken place over the Atlantic, before Moroccan coast. Finally, a series of fireballs died out over the Mediterranean Sea, about 100 kilometers from the coast Algiers and Murcia. In a word, it was not dangerous at all, but it was a beautiful sight for those who were lucky enough to look at the sky at that moment.
Fireballs from a Chinese rocket
Most sightings of these fireballs have been reported in Andalusia, especially in Malaga and Seville. However, it could also be seen in the rest of the Autonomous Community and much further north, with eyewitnesses in towns such as Toledo or Valladolid.
cameras SMART projectwhich is dedicated specifically to the study of fireballs and meteors in southwestern Europe, place a phenomenon caused by the advance of a Chinese rocket in a northeasterly direction, From Morocco. first they passed about Tetouan and then they arrived in Spain, which is only 10 kilometers from Almeria coastand then go to it extinction over the mediterranean. In total, it all happened in about two minutes, about from 00:30 to 00:32Spanish peninsular time.
The fireballs were seen mostly from Andalusia, but there were witnesses as far north as Spain.
I must say that such phenomena are normal. Fireballs are generated when rocket fragments burn up from friction on re-entry in the earth’s atmosphere. This is actually a good thing, as they break up into even smaller fragments and are generally harmless once they reach the ground.
The only problem with these fireballs coming from Chinese rocket the thing is, they weren’t scheduled, so we weren’t ready to enjoy the show. This makes it even more special for those lucky enough to see it by chance. Luckily, thanks to amateur and professional cameras like the SMART project, those of us unfortunate enough can now watch it with a delay. It’s not as exciting, but still very interesting.
Source: Hiper Textual
