A “vortex” flashes across the Hawaiian sky after SpaceX launches its Falcon 9 rocket. The shape appears to have resulted from a careless impulse
Jan 26th
2023
– 7:24 pm
(updated at 9:04 p.m.)
Last week, a “shiny spiral” appeared in the skies over Hawaii. Interestingly (or not), the model appeared on the same day as the SpaceX Launched a US Space Force satellite. For some specialists, the whirlpool originated from rocket propulsion during mission launch.
The phenomenon was captured by the Subaru-Asahi Star Camera of the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan and the Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun. Mounted on the Subaru Telescope located in Hawaii, it recorded a luminous shape that seemed to move across the sky, then disappear.
& Ampere ; nbsp;
In a Twitter post, the telescope team suggested that the bluish helix appears to be associated with a SpaceX launch. Scientist Scott Tilley agreed, noting that the helix appeared to be in a position consistent with the second stage of thrombocytopenia Falcon 9 rocket It should be after launch.
Fuel Vent F9 Second Stage from NAVSTAR 82 (USA 343) [55268, 2023-009A] launch. The payload orbital elements scattered back reveal a very close match at about 2023-01-18T14:40 UTC. pic.twitter.com/UmcStuWj2L
– Scott Tilly 🇺🇦 (@Coast8049) January 20, 2023
This isn’t the first time that SpaceX launches have generated bright phenomena in the sky and made the news. Last year, for example, residents of the Florida coast, in the United States, noticed A Luminous jellyfish body, which arose from the interaction of the Falcon 9 rocket with the atmosphere. This phenomenon usually occurs when a missile takes off in the early hours of the day or a few hours before dusk.
What caused a “vortex” in the Hawaiian sky?
Jelly Fish Space
From today’s SpaceX launch. beautiful pic.twitter.com/98mzIGHDOm
– Chris Combs (Iterative Design) (@DrChrisCombs) May 6, 2022
To understand the possible reason behind the appearance in the skies over Hawaii, it helps to understand how the Falcon 9 rockets were launched.
When the first stage (which propels the launch vehicle) separates from the second (which stores payloads), it begins to return to Earth. After separation, the second stage starts its engine by moving to the position needed to launch the satellites into orbit. Then, the remaining fuel is ejected before the stage re-enters the atmosphere. With it, it begins to rotate until it leaves the earth’s orbit and descends into the ocean.
As a result, a cloud of frozen fuel crystals appears in the form of a spiral, which, when illuminated by the sun, protrudes into the sky. Spirals are often observed above The Pacific Ocean Because this is where most Falcon 9 rocket stages descend to be salvaged, recovered and reused.
Source: space climate; via: space.comAnd Chris Combs
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