On June 19, several amateur astrophotographers in the United States were shocked to see how the sky lit up with red sparkles unlike anything they had ever seen before. It was not visible to the naked eye, but all their cameras caught the same thing. Many of them began to report what happened and investigate the possible causes, until they found something that could explain everything. Just a few minutes before the sky turns the color of hell, SpaceX had launched a rocket Falcon 9 from Florida.
Most of these astrophotographers were not scientists, so they did not have a clear explanation. However, soon some physicists began to comment on it, clarifying what SpaceX could have to do with the color of the sky.
The key is in the oxygen. And it is that the second phase of the rocket was able to ignite just at the height of the atmosphere in which they are positive ions of this item. Thus, when the engine broke down to burn, these could be combined with other elements, giving rise to molecular ions such as O2+ or NO+. And it is precisely by reacting these ions with electrons from the atmosphere when the glow occurs. In fact, it is a phenomenon similar to that of the Aurora borealis.
When the sky turned red because of SpaceX
One of the first astrophotographers to report what happened was David Johnson, who captured the glow while photographing the sky in the Bear Rocks area of Virginia. He was joined by other lovers of the firmament in places like Maryland, Ohio, or North Carolina.
They all claimed to have seen the glow about 00:30 and solely through his camera, by taking long exposure photos. In addition, they assure that it only lasted a few minutes.
Shortly before, at 00:27, SpaceX launched from Florida a falcon 9 rocket with a payload belonging to the globalstar satellite. It is known that the second stage motor burns approximately three minutes after takeoffjust when the sky turned red through the cameras of all those photographers.
It’s all too precise to be a fluke. And it does not seem that it is, as she has explained in statements to Washington Post space physicist from Boston University Charles Martinis. The key is in those oxygen ions that combine with other molecules in the atmosphere. But why hadn’t something like this been seen before if there are rocket launches very frequently in that area of the United States?
The key, in the words of Martinis, is how advanced cameras are today. In the past, flares like the one caused by the SpaceX rocket could only be captured with Scientific instruments. Now, the cameras used by many astrophotographers are also capable of capturing those flares.
It would be wonderful if we could also observe them with the naked eye, because without a doubt it is a most special spectacle. It’s not possible; but, luckily, we can see all the photos that were captured at that time. Without a doubt, these photographers will always be glad to have been in the right place and at the right time.