Would have been the perfect time to propose marriage under the beautiful rain of celestial (supposedly man-made) rubble, if you were in neighboring areas of Maharashtra, Telangana and Madhya Pradesh. The quiet summer evening in central India was briefly interrupted by blazing streaks of fiery projectiles smashing through the atmosphere. Speculation continues as to whether it was a meteor shower or allegedly Chinese ballistics in free fall during reentry. There is a higher chance that the phenomenon is man-made (in China).
#WATCH † Maharashtra: In what appears to be a meteor shower was observed over the skies of Nagpur and several other parts of the state. pic.twitter.com/kPUfL9P18R
— ANI (@ANI) Apr 2, 2022
This one was visible in the sky of Vadodara last night…#Meteor Shower#meteor pic.twitter.com/urSxWoIz8r
— Jitendra Gautam (@JitendraG007) Apr 3, 2022
Meanwhile, excited citizens were seen examining fallen debris and some were obtained by local authorities. The ring-like structures and other fragments looked like remains of a satellite.
Maharashtra | Last night we received information about the discovery of a 3 meter ring in a village in Sindewahi. Ring was hot and it looked like it had fallen from the sky while today a spherical object was found in another village: Ganesh Jagdale, Tehsildar, Sindewahi, Chandrapur pic.twitter.com/WhHl8c7257
— ANI (@ANI) Apr 3, 2022
fallen fragments pic.twitter.com/vegUlLgzGw
— imaging (@daydreamer455) Apr 2, 2022
Another satellite fragments found in Sindevahi #chandrapur† This satellite piece has fallen into a Pawan Ghat lake. #meteor shower #Meteor Shower#Nagpur pic.twitter.com/PyIzuc9ZAs
— Praveen Mudholkar (@JournoMudholkar) Apr 3, 2022
It’s not a meteor, it’s a rocket or satellite
Some of the fallen parts are brought under police control
Location – Sindewahi Chandrapur
#Maharashtra#Meteor Shower #NASAWebb pic.twitter.com/GTNIMbi5aP— Rohit Ram (@lodhe_rohit) Apr 2, 2022
Analysts and amateur skywatchers think it’s the return of Chinese Rockets based on tracking the projections. Probably the return of our padosi’s Chang Zheng 3B Y77 launched in February 2021.
I believe this is the return of a Chinese rocket stage, the third stage of the Chang Zheng 3B serial number Y77 launched in Feb 2021 – expected to re-enter in an hour or so and the orbit is a close match pic.twitter.com/BetxCknAiK
— Jonathan McDowell (@planet4589) Apr 2, 2022
In a similar incident last year, another Chinese missile had the same result. China’s Long March-5 Rocket CZ-5B, a heavy-lift vehicle carrying the ‘Tianhe’ module to space, was launched into orbit on April 29, 2021. Despite tracking the movements, no one was sure where the debris would fall.
In 1979 NASAs Skylab crashed (most millennials won’t know). It fell apart over a well-inhabited rural patch of Australia. Some of the debris found its way into the Indian Ocean. These things are mechanical and at some point the machines fail despite all the scrupulousness (ugh looking for the right word!) We’ve had disastrous shuttle re-entries in the past. Fortunately, space debris hasn’t been much of a threat until now. However, the kachra in space will pose problems for our future generation.
These were space debris. Meteors reportedly didn’t kill anyone (except a handful, if at all). I don’t know if a huge asteroid is swinging by. Earthlings are left to their own devices.
Even as the internet is buzzing with the suhani shaam may meteor shower wala event, twitterati couldn’t let go of their humor.
#Meteor Shower summed up pic.twitter.com/9t4MMJ5xCN
— Kalia (@kalia_01) Apr 3, 2022
The only scientist who can confirm whether this was #Meteor Shower ,Parts of Chinese satellite or alien spacecraft pic.twitter.com/PFgOg7qMkk
— Baandya (@Bahut_Scope_Hai) Apr 3, 2022
#Meteor Shower #meteor
Last night somewhere in Maharashtra pic.twitter.com/IpV9vf2ZZd— Tweetera🐦 (@DoctorrSays) Apr 3, 2022
Disappointed? If you’re looking for a real meteor shower, wait until April 22-23.
Pass it on: The next best meteor shower is the Lyrids meteor shower, and it peaks on the night of April 22 through the early morning hours of April 23. There are about 20 meteors per hour! #Meteor Shower #Room pic.twitter.com/MVQJx513gd
— Mark Tarello (@mark_tarello) March 30, 2022
Also see: Astronomers capture trail of asteroid 2022 EB5 just 2 hours before its impact
Cover: Pixabay