Situatable from the Southern Part of Germany - Unusual Space Phenomenon - Specialists Premise Satellite Over Meteoroid
A brilliant flash in the night sky caused quite a commotion across significant areas of southwestern Germany and Switzerland. Officials from the Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance (BBK) swiftly put an end to the speculation: The rapid and enigmatic streak of brightly illuminated cosmic spectacle on Tuesday night was attributed to a Starlink satellite plunging into Earth's atmosphere above Switzerland, becoming visibly apparent in the southwest. This information was supplied by the Space Situational Awareness Center of the German Armed Forces to the BBK, as confirmed by a representative of the federal agency.
Starlink satellites are the brainchild of SpaceX, Elon Musk's aerospace venture. Their purpose is to facilitate high-speed internet access worldwide, maintaining an altitude of roughly 500 kilometers. Currently, SpaceX is leading the charge with an astounding 5000 Starlink satellites in orbit, aiming for a grand total of approximately 42,000. According to SpaceX, fallen Starlink satellites pose no threat to public safety.
In several cities of Baden-Württemberg, people dialed the police around 9:30 PM, reporting a fiery celestial body. These reports were received by the police stations in Ravensburg, Constance, and Stuttgart, as per their respective officials.
"Most likely remnants of a satellite"
While callers and X's online audience believed they had witnessed a meteorite, experts quickly debunked this theory. "Given the slow pace and the method of fragmentation, my bet is on a satellite re-entering space debris or something similar," shared Fabian Mathis, president of the Astronomical Society of Zurich's Lower Region, speaking to the Swiss "Blick". Space specialist Men Schmidt, hailing from St. Gallen, Switzerland, personally observed the event. "A sound explanation would be that it was portions of a satellite or a rocket," he hypothesized.
The increasing threat of space debris poses a danger to space travel
Failed satellites or other space debris falling below 600 kilometers altitude are expected to return to Earth within a few years, as per NASA. Upon re-entry into the atmosphere, they typically disintegrate. Currently, our planet is orbited by millions of debris fragments as space debris. On top of that, over 12,500 satellites are orbiting the Earth, provided by the European Space Agency (ESA); many of which are no longer functional.
This space debris also poses a hazard to space travel. A few months ago, the Chinese space station "Tiangong" ("Heavenly Palace") was struck by space debris, necessitating repairs. The International Space Station (ISS) is also compelled to steer clear of debris on occasion.
Elon Musk, the founder of SpaceX, is the mastermind behind Starlink satellites, which were possibly the object seen plunging into Earth's atmosphere. SpaceX is currently managing over 5000 Starlink satellites in orbit, aiming to eventually have around 42,000.
As speculated by experts, the fiery object observed in Baden-Württemberg was likely pieces of a satellite or a rocket, not a meteorite, as some may have believed.
