Stormy Sky, Space Needle, Seattle, Washington, America
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Just after 9:00 pm PT Thursday, people all over the Seattle area were reciting and recording brilliant, flaming streaks above them.
The lights weren’t the latest Starlink mega-constel scenes of Elon Musk’s ever-growing broadband satellites. Anyway, not exactly.
Instead, it was the remnants of a SpaceX rocket that recently launched a batch of Starlink satellites into orbit earlier this month.
Several photos and videos from across the Pacific Northwest captured the several fireballs breaking apart and working slowly across the skies.
Harvard astronomer and chief finder Jonathan McDowell identified just about everything that was happening in orbit, the phenomenon as the remnants of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket that sent 60 the company’s Starlink satellites into orbit on March 4th.
“The second phase of Falcon 9 since the launch of Mar 4 Starlink failed deorbit firing and is now coming back after 22 days in orbit. His reentry was seen from the Seattle area, ”he wrote on Twitter.
McDowell also reports that the rocket weighs three tons and is seven meters by 3.6 meters across.
The Seattle National Weather Service supported McDowell’s decision:
“According to the video seen, this looks more likely than a meteor bolide or something similar as they would move much faster on impact with our atmosphere. No land impact is expected in our area at this time. More information will be posted as it becomes available. “
So, sorry people, it’s not strangers.