Giant 'white streak' appears over multiple US states as Chinese rocket dumps experimental fuel in space [View all]

By Harry Baker

A recent launch of China's Zhuque-2E rocket triggered a giant white streak of light to appear above at least seven U.S. states after deploying six satellites into low-Earth orbit. The light show, which was visible in at least seven states, was the result of a "fuel dump," experts say.



A massive streak of white, aurora-like light recently appeared in the night sky above several U.S. states after a Chinese rocket released half a dozen satellites into orbit. The light show was triggered when the rocket dumped a new type of fuel into space before reentering the atmosphere, experts say.

The luminous streak appeared at around 1:24 a.m. ET on Saturday (May 17), hanging in the air for around 10 minutes before eventually fading away. It was photographed in at least seven states — Colorado, Idaho, Utah, Missouri, Nebraska, Washington and New Mexico — but may have been visible even further afield, according to Spaceweather.com.

Photographer Mike Lewinski snapped stunning shots of the streak from Crestone, Colorado (see above) and also managed to capture timelapse footage of the entire event. Meanwhile, photographer Jay Shaffer took a striking long-exposure photo of the streak in Taos County, New Mexico.

https://www.livescience.com/space/space-exploration/giant-white-streak-appears-over-multiple-us-states-as-chinese-rocket-dumps-experimental-fuel-in-space

Gee thanks, China