In the early hours of Tuesday, a mesmerizing celestial display lit up the sky across Southern California, leaving locals and onlookers awestruck. From Sacramento to San Diego, residents witnessed streaks of light dancing across the heavens around 1:30 am (local time), sparking intrigue and speculation about the origins of the spectacle.
Social media platforms quickly buzzed with posts and videos as eyewitnesses shared their experiences and theories, ranging from meteor showers to unidentified flying objects (UFOs). However, experts soon weighed in on the phenomenon, attributing it to the remnants of a Chinese spacecraft re-entering the Earth’s atmosphere.
Astrophysicist and satellite tracker Jonathan McDowell, along with the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence Institute, confirmed on X that the celestial lights were the aftermath of the Chinese Shenzhou 15 orbital module’s re-entry. Launched in November 2022, the module had been part of a six-month mission to transport three astronauts to the Tiangong space station.
Despite the scientific explanation, the fiery descent of the Shenzhou 15 module sparked widespread fascination and discussion on social media platforms.
Social media users capture fire balls in sky
Many locals were able to capture the space junk that were visible as fire balls as they re-entered through the atmosphere. Many even questioned if it caused by SpaceX’s spent rocket stages floating in space.