Latest news with #TLEs
Ammon
21-05-2025
- Science
- Ammon
Mystery as bright beam of light streaks through the skies over the US
Ammon News - Stargazers across the US have been baffled by a mysterious beam of light streaking through the sky. Around midnight on Saturday, May 17, a glowing streak was visible above the US as far south as New Mexico. With the aurora active after a surprise geomagnetic storm, many people initially thought the streak was STEVE - a white-mauve light emitted by rivers of charged particles. However, astronomers have now revealed the true explanation for this bizarre phenomenon. According to Dr Jonathan McDowell, an astronomer who tracks objects in space, the light was caused by a rocket dumping fuel. Just an hour or so before the light became visible, Chinese startup LandSpace Technology launched a methane and oxygen-fuelled Zhuque-2E Y2 rocket. Dr McDowell says the most likely source of the light was this rocket's second stage, releasing its 'Methalox' rocket fuel at about 155 miles (250km) above the ground. Once released into space, the chemicals in the fuel react with plasma in the Earth's ionosphere to create an eerie whitish glow, just like the one seen above the US. As the glowing streak appeared in the sky, many astronomers' first thought was that they were witnessing a rare space weather phenomenon called STEVE. Over the night of May 17, the Earth was experiencing a moderate (G2 class) geomagnetic storm after being hit by material from a solar eruption. The enormous 'bird wing' eruption had originally been predicted to miss Earth, but the wave of material was wider than expected, and the planet was hit with a glancing blow. Although STEVE is not part of the aurora, it is also caused by space weather and appears like a glowing river of whitish-mauve light in the sky. In a post on X, photographer Tyler Schlitt captured the event, writing: 'Just saw STEVE with my friends here in Southern Kansas is 45 minutes north of Greensburg!' However, it soon became apparent that this was no natural phenomenon. Writing on X, Dr McDowell said: 'TLEs confirm the Zhuque-2 upper stage passed over the US Four Corners area at 0525 UTC May 17 and is the source of the unusual luminous cloud seen by many observers.' The Zhuque-2 rocket was launched by LandSpace Technology from the Dongfeng Commercial Space Innovation Test Area in northwest China at 04:21 UTC. Daily Mail
Express Tribune
11-04-2025
- Science
- Express Tribune
NASA astronaut shares mesmerising aurora videos from space
Listen to article Veteran NASA astronaut Don Pettit has released breathtaking videos of green auroras captured from the International Space Station (ISS), revealing a dazzling view of Earth's atmospheric phenomena from above. The 69-year-old astronaut shared several clips this week on X (formerly Twitter), showcasing vibrant green ribbons of light glowing beneath the ISS as it flew over the southern hemisphere between Australia and Antarctica. Formation flying; Starlink satellites tracing parallel lines in the sky. Thanks to @BabakTafreshi for assembling this clip from timelapse images. — Don Pettit (@astro_Pettit) April 11, 2025 Auroras, commonly known as the Northern and Southern Lights, occur when charged particles from the Sun — often released during coronal mass ejections (CMEs) — collide with gases in Earth's upper atmosphere. These collisions excite oxygen and nitrogen molecules, producing glowing lights in green, red, blue, or pink. NASA explains that auroras are most visible near the poles, where the Earth's magnetic field is strongest. From space, these phenomena are not only visible but often more dramatic. Pettit, currently on his fourth mission aboard the ISS, also posted a timelapse of Elon Musk's Starlink satellites moving in formation, and a rare video of upper atmospheric lightning, known as Transient Luminous Events (TLEs), above the Amazon. These brief flashes include exotic phenomena like sprites and blue jets. Earlier this week, Pettit also filmed the station's rotation during a Soyuz docking manoeuvre that brought astronauts Jonny Kim, Sergei Ryzhikov, and Alexei Zubritsky to the ISS for an eight-month mission. The spacecraft's arrival required the ISS to rotate 180 degrees, flying backwards at 17,500mph — allowing for more stunning aurora footage. Widely praised for his visual storytelling from orbit, Pettit has logged over 370 days in space and more than 13 hours of spacewalks. His latest clips, described by fans as 'phenomenal' and 'timelapse gold,' have sparked calls for a documentary compilation of his work. He is expected to return to Earth later this month along with Russian cosmonauts Aleksey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner.
Yahoo
05-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Rare colorful lightning caught on camera by ISS astronaut. 'OK, this is kind of out there'
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. NASA astronaut Don Pettit captured breathtaking video of a rare atmospheric phenomenon from his perch high above Earth on the International Space Station. While the International Space Station (ISS) was orbiting above South America, Pettit recorded what are known as Transient Luminous Events, or TLEs. These are bright, colorful flashes of light faster than lightning and are sometimes referred to as "sprites." Pettit was able to view the sprites from directly above, looking down at what is known as the nadir, the point directly below a particular location. "OK, this is kind of out there and caters to your inner Uber-Geek," Pettit posted to X (formerly Twitter along with the video. "Nadir view of Transient Luminous Events (TLE ) or upper atmospheric lightning." The video captures around six seconds of sprites over the Amazon basin. And it's not the first time these phenomena have been caught on camera from the ISS. In 2024, NASA astronaut Matthew Dominick caught a glimpse at one of the most elusive atmospheric phenomena known as red sprites. These occur during particularly powerful thunderstorms and travel upwards into the atmosphere, as opposed to normal lightning which travels downward to the surface of Earth. RELATED STORIES: — Eerie, ultra-detailed photo of a lightning 'sprite' exposes one of nature's least understood phenomena — Red lightning: The electrifying weather phenomenon explained — Sprites from space! Astronaut photographs rare red lightning phenomenon from ISS Sprites like the ones Pettit captured on video occur much higher than regular lightning. Their name is an acronym, short for stratospheric perturbations resulting from intense thunderstorm electrification. Sprites are created when electrical discharges created by lightning shoot upward, creating bursts of plasma in the ionosphere, found around 50 miles (80 km) above Earth's surface. They were not captured on camera until 1989.
