Blazing light trail seen over Maharashtra sky a meteor shower or Chinese rocket re-entry? Experts have the answer
Zee News
"I believe this is the reentry of a Chinese rocket stage, the third stage of the Chang Zheng 3B serial number Y77 which was launched in Feb 2021 - it was expected to reenter in the next hour or so and the track is a good match," McDowell said in a tweet.
New Delhi: The residents of Maharashtraon Sunday (April 3, 2022) witnessed an unusual event as a blazing streak of lights pierced through the sky during the night. The unusual event was captured by people on their phones and shared on social media.
The rare phenomenon ignited a series of conversations in the nation. While many people described the celestial event seen over Maharashtra as a "meteor shower," astronomer Jonathan McDowell speculated that it could actually be the "re-entry of a Chinese rocket stage" that was launched in February 2021.
"I believe this is the reentry of a Chinese rocket stage, the third stage of the Chang Zheng 3B serial number Y77 which was launched in Feb 2021 - it was expected to reenter in the next hour or so and the track is a good match," McDowell said in a tweet.
I believe this is the reentry of a Chinese rocket stage, the third stage of the Chang Zheng 3B serial number Y77 which was launched in Feb 2021 - it was expected to reenter in the next hour or so and the track is a good match pic.twitter.com/BetxCknAiK
— Jonathan McDowell (@planet4589) April 2, 2022