A meteor flying over Krasnoyarsk Territory could be space debris, says Vladimir Surdin, senior researcher at the Sternberg State Institute of Astronomy and associate professor of Physics at Moscow State University. In a conversation with socialbites.ca, the astronomer suggested that this is most likely one of the stages of the launch vehicle or an old satellite.
“It was definitely a car. A fireball is just a very bright meteor. Not anything, when it casts a shadow. From the frames where the combustion was captured, it can be seen that the fireball directly illuminated the area. It’s a rare meteor, bright. It seems like it was space debris after all, not a natural stone. Meanwhile, it flew slowly and disintegrated for a long time, most likely one of the last stages of the launch vehicle or an old satellite,” Surdin said.
The astronomer noted that fireballs are rarely seen in the sky above megacities.
“Such a phenomenon can rarely be observed in large cities. I’ve probably seen it five times in my life. And I always look up. It burned and burned. Nothing fell. There is no value to it. Such surveys are always valuable to science,” Surdin explained.
On the evening of January 31, residents of the Krasnoyarsk Territory collectively observed the fall of a large meteor that burned as it passed through the layers of the earth’s atmosphere. The video of an unusual phenomenon hit social networks.
Source: Gazeta
Barbara Dickson is a seasoned writer for “Social Bites”. She keeps readers informed on the latest news and trends, providing in-depth coverage and analysis on a variety of topics.