According to previous similar cases recorded in other parts of the world, such spiral-shaped glowing objects are the stage of a launch vehicle burning in the atmosphere.
It is likely that the case observed over Lithuania is the second stage of the Space X rocket Falcon 9 burning in the atmosphere.
Readers who captured the glowing object in the sky shared photos and impressions with the Delfi portal even in the middle of the night.
“We were sitting by the fire and my daughter and I saw a flying object. I quickly pulled out my phone and took a picture. Guess what it could be? Maybe a UFO, maybe some kind of drone? I ruled out the possibility of a star or comet, as both the light and the spiral I saw didn’t look like something from the sky. Overall, it looked impressive, unexpected, surprising. It’s beautiful, an interesting accent at the end of the day,” Raminta K. from Anykščiai district told the Delfi portal.
“It’s unexpected to see something like this in the sky, but at the same time it’s very interesting what it is,” asked Rūta Srėbalienė, who observed the skylight near Utena.
“A rocket was observed in the vicinity of Punia, May 2. the time is 22:55“, – portal Delphi the recorded image was sent by Ramūnas Paškevičius.
“We went out to watch the northern lights in the yard and saw a light in the sky from the south side. At first we didn’t understand what it was and where it came from. We immediately thought it was a satellite, although we laughed “ah, aliens again”. That’s what we watched while flying through the sky. I still told my husband, “oh, something Elono is flying here.” Two lights in the front and one larger one in the back were clearly visible. To tell the truth, it’s impressive,” said Lina Marčiulynaitė, who immortalized the object in the Varėna district.
“It wasn’t very pleasant, because it was getting brighter and moving quite quickly. But the impression is unreal, because such a view has never been seen! There was no sound at all,” Eglė Masalskienė from Vilnius shared her impressions.
“I was scared when I saw the first photo taken, because when I looked through the phone it looked like I was photographing the Moon. Even though he shouldn’t have been there. I wondered if I was the only one seeing it, or if someone else was seeing it too. And it turns out that the whole Facebook is flickering from this strange phenomenon – Space X Falcon 9”, said Rasa Tamašauskaitė, who recorded the object in Klaipėda district.
Atmospheric phenomenon hunters Sky Chasers LT also reported on the glowing object.
According to a Space X announcement, May 2 from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, USA at 18:36 GMT; (21:36 Lithuanian time) the “Falcon 9” rocket launched two Earth observation satellites of the “Maxar” company.
The Falcon 9 rocket’s reusable first stage has successfully landed at Vandenberg Air Force Base.
The upper stage of the Falcon 9 rocket is no longer reusable, so when satellites or other payloads are lifted off, they fall and burn up in the atmosphere, creating a spectacular skylight effect.
How is such a luminary formed?
Minutes after liftoff, the Falcon 9 rocket’s first stage returns to the launch pad, while the second stage continues its flight to launch the satellites into orbit. After releasing the satellites, it returns to the Earth’s atmosphere in a spiral trajectory and burns up in it.
During the fall, the rocket’s second-stage engines begin to release fuel residues, and the water vapor in them freezes and turns into tiny crystals that reflect light.
Tags: night people startled glowing object flew sky Lithuania residents rushed photograph
