Residents from Southern California have seen a number of celestial phenomena that confused and delighted them over the past few weeks.
Night owls spotted streaks of light across the sky early Tuesday morning Pacific Time (Apr. 2), with some assuming that the event might be related to SpaceX's satellite launch the night before (Apr. 1).
However, the Los Angeles Times reported that the light streak was caused by Chinese space junk re-entering the Earth's atmosphere, specifically the orbital module of the Shenzhou 15, according to Smithsonian astronomer Jonathan McDowell.
According to Space.com, the three-man crew of Shenzhou 15 launched back in November 2022, with the orbital module placed in front of the spacecraft, providing extra room for Chinese astronauts and science experiments in space.
Only the middle part of the Shenzhou—the re-entry module—was designed to survive the return to Earth, with the orbital and service modules eventually burning up.
The Shenzhou 15 crew returned to Earth back in July 2023.
The American Meteor Society also reported 85 sightings of the re-entry from Sacramento to San Diego, with most sightings consecrated in the Los Angeles area.
On average, one piece of space junk falls into the Earth's atmosphere each day, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which estimated that there were more than 170 million pieces of space debris flying around the Earth, posing potential hazards for active satellites and even is a small risk to humans on the ground as well.
"While space debris is rarely a concern for humans on Earth, our satellites in the sky often have to avoid its dangerous path," NOAA said.
However, most space debris burns up in the atmosphere, leaving nothing but a dazzling visual display.
The Shenzhou was developed as the Chinese version of the Soviet and Russian Soyuz spacecraft, which still ferries cosmonauts to and from the International Space Station.
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