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JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – That was not a meteor.
On Saturday night, individuals throughout the Magnolia State observed what seemed to be a meteor disintegrating in the Earth’s atmosphere.
However, it was not a meteor; instead, it was what Forbes Magazine detailed as a “defunct earth-imaging satellite manufactured in China” fragmenting as it re-entered Earth.
In a post shared by WLBT Chief Meteorologist Dave Roberts, Astronomer Jonathan McDowell indicated that the satellite was GaoJing 1-02, Superview 1-02, operated by the Beijing-based SpaceView corporation.
It re-entered the atmosphere above New Orleans shortly after 10 p.m.
“We are in an age with countless satellites circling the Earth, thus occurrences like Saturday night’s are becoming increasingly frequent,” Roberts remarked.
As per Forbes, the satellite was placed into low-earth orbit in 2016.
A map posted by McDowell indicated the satellite could be observed over parts of Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, and Missouri.
Christopher Rainer, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Jackson, stated that his department received several reports regarding the satellite after 10 p.m.
From the footage, NWS personnel initially believed the satellite to be a meteor disintegrating in the upper atmosphere. The agency noted that it posed no threat to the public.
“We merely reported what was visible in the video,” Rainer expressed. “Once again, [that’s] outside our field of expertise.”
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