08 July 2016

100% Space Trash: Cygnus re-entry video 22JUN2016

100% Space Trash: Cygnus re-entry video

A recent article on New Scientist shows a Cygnus spacecraft being incinerated during atmospheric re-entry.

The video was shot from a chartered aircraft out of Sydney, Australia - "to track the craft during its descent, recording how it brightened and broke up."

Note the **velocity** of the Cygnus spacecraft as it burns-up, which is much slower (relatively speaking) than a 'normal and natural' meteor/fireball/bolide.

This video can be used as a teaching tool to help differentiate between 'space trash' and space rocks - for future observations/reports.


Background 'space rock' update:

Overnight (7-July->8-July), there has been a small increase in the number of <0.5AU discoveries for current period "N" (1-Jul to 15-Jul).  The new total rose to 388, with 2016 NN15.

So far, in period "N", the number of <10LD new discoveries increased to a modest 5;  2 of which are in the >1<5LD range and 3 in the >5<10LD range.

Total <0.5AU discoveries for 2016, so far, is 30,258.  217 of these have close-approaches <10LD (0.7171%).

Source for stats: EISSCO

2016 The THIRD Year of "CERTAIN Uncertainty" ™ / Meteors, Asteroids, Comets, and MORE!!

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