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Chinese satellite burns up over Louisiana, visible across the region

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Residents in parts of Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas and Alabama were treated to a dazzling sight late Saturday as bright, slow-moving objects streaked across the sky, caused by a Chinese satellite which entered Earth’s atmosphere, astronomers said.

The event happened just after 10 p.m. and was visible from multiple states, according to witnesses who shared footage on social media. While there was no word from officials, astronomer Jonathan McDowell identified the space debris as a Chinese satellite.

“The commercial imaging satellite 高景一号02星 (GaoJing 1-02, Superview 1-02), operated by Beijing-based SpaceView, reentered above New Orleans at 10:08 p.m. CST heading northbound towards Mississippi, Arkansas, Missouri and was widely observed,” McDowell said.

McDowell added: “The satellite has been space junk and dead as a doornail since January 2023. This was an uncontrolled reentry. We knew it was coming down today but only with ±2 hour accuracy estimate so we didn’t know where (at 17000 mph, ±2 hours is more than one trip round the Earth).”

Many observers initially speculated that the object was a meteor, but experts quickly dismissed this theory because meteors travel at incredibly high speeds, unlike Saturday’s space debris.

Space debris often burns up upon entry, creating bright streaks and fragments visible from the ground.

Social media platforms quickly filled with videos and photos of the event, with users across the region sharing their awe and curiosity. The object’s slow pace and vivid brightness made it a captivating sight for many who happened to look skyward at the right moment.

This sighting adds to a growing list of re-entry events witnessed globally as humanity’s activity in space continues to increase. Just last month, a fireball lit up the sky over North Texas, which astronomers identified as a SpaceX Starlink satellite which launched in 2022.

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