Residents from Sacramento to San Diego were left awestruck as mysterious streaks of light illuminated the California sky around 1:30 a.m. on Tuesday morning. Speculation ran rampant, with some believing it to be a meteor shower or even UFOs. However, experts have since confirmed that the dazzling display was actually caused by remnants of Chinese space junk re-entering the Earth’s atmosphere.
Astrophysicist and satellite tracker Jonathan McDowell took to social media to clarify that the streaks of light were the result of the orbital module from China’s Shenzhou 15 spacecraft making its descent. The spacecraft had been in orbit for over a year after launching three astronauts to China’s Tiangong space station in November 2022.
Videos captured by observers and obtained by ABC7 showcased several fireballs streaking across the night sky, further adding to the spectacle. The debris from the Shenzhou 15 spacecraft weighed approximately 3,300 pounds and provided additional space for astronauts in orbit, as reported by Space.com.
Unlike some space vehicles, the Shenzhou orbital craft was not designed to safely return to Earth after its mission. Instead, the re-entry module of the spacecraft is specially equipped for astronauts to make a safe return home. The predicted re-entry of the module early Tuesday morning coincided with the captivating light show seen by many in California.
Initial belief that the light show may have been linked to SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket, which had launched Starlink satellites from the Vandenberg Space Force Base, was dispelled as experts confirmed the source to be Chinese space debris. The spectacle serves as a reminder of the complex nature of space activities and the potential for debris to re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere, captivating and mystifying observers.