Visible to the naked eye! A failed Russian spy satellite crashed into space and burned into a fireball

According to the US "Space" website, a Russian spy satellite that failed to launch fell back to Earth in the early morning of October 20, and many witnesses in the Midwest of the United States found the "brilliant fireball".

Fireballs from the failed launch of the Russian satellite Kosmos-2551 re-entered the Earth's atmosphere on October 20 (pictured on the US Space website)

The American Meteor Society (AMS) has so far received more than 80 reports of the fireball, observed in the south in Tennessee and as far north as Michigan. The association has released footage taken by some of these observers, including a 27-second video from stargazing enthusiast Chris Johnson showing the traces left by meteors as they streaked over the town of Fort Gratiot, Michigan.

It is said that the fireball lit up around 12:43 a.m. Eastern Time on the 20th. Jonathan McDowell, an astronomer working at Harvard's Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, posted on the social platform that "this time is the exact predicted time when the satellite Kosmos-2551" passes through the region and during the window of uncertainty given by the space department for re-entry time. So the conclusion that confirming that this is the Russian spy satellite 'Kosmos-2551' is reliable. ”

Kosmos-2551, a Russian reconnaissance satellite, was launched on September 9, but apparently failed shortly after liftoff. McDowell posted on Monday (October 18) that the spacecraft had not adjusted its orbit once since liftoff, and said that Kosmos-2551 was expected to re-enter the Earth's atmosphere on the 19th, and the actual results were only less than an hour away from this forecast.

It's not uncommon for space junk to turn into fireballs, and last year, the third stage of a Soyuz rocket re-entered the atmosphere during the launch of a Russian military satellite, performing a brilliant sky show for parts of Australia.

Such events are becoming more common as humans launch more and more satellites into orbit. The satellite boom has worried many experts, who stress the need to take action to ensure that the space junk problem does not spiral out of control. (Editor: SDY)