What was this strange glowing light flying in the sky of northern Chile on August 11, 2015?
Perseids meteor or space junk?
Tuesday morning, a strange light was spotted flying across the sky of northern Chile. Many Twitter users were able to record and share images of the strange sky phenomenon:
Sorry guys, this is not a fireball from the Perseid Meteor Shower but rather space junk re-entering the Earth’s atmosphere. The incandescent light is indeed much too slow and lasts much too long.
As you may have figured it out yesterday, as the Perseids peaked, it is pretty rare that a meteor or fireball lasts more than 2-3 seconds. This flying object however glew for over 30 sec.
#T13 #AhoraNoticias @T13 #Meteorito Norte de Chile, sector Tirana – PozoalMonte pic.twitter.com/wkpdTcsOKU
— Pablo Yáñez (@MrYunque) August 11, 2015
Looking at space news, a rocket launched on the exact same day from Wallops Island.
#calama objeto incandescente surca el cielo de Calama a gran velocidad. #meteorito ??? Lindo espectáculo mañanero pic.twitter.com/9rbfO5a9u6
— Juan P. Melgarejo G. (@jpmelgarejo) August 11, 2015
So I believe this strange sky phenomenon was linked to parts of this rocket re-entering the Earth atmosphere.
