When space junk returns to Earth - what you should know
From time to time, the night sky can surprise us with more than stars, planets or meteors. A slow, burning streak cutting through the darkness can bring us to a standstill and flood social media with photos and footage. It looks dramatic, even apocalyptic... but often it is not a shooting star at all, but space debris entering the atmosphere.
What is space junk?
Space junk (space junk) are all man-made objects that orbit the Earth but no longer serve any function. They include, among others:
- Inactive satellites,
- Scorched rocket stages,
- Post-collision debris,
- Even lost astronaut tools (yes, it really happened).
Currently there are thousands of tons of such material around our planet. Sooner or later, gravity pulls them down, starting their return journey to Earth.
What does re-entry into the atmosphere look like?
As it enters the atmosphere, friction with air molecules heats the object to thousands of degrees. It begins to glow intensely and often breaks into several fragments. Unlike meteors, which appear and disappear in a fraction of a second, space junk can cross the sky for several seconds, moving more slowly and leaving a distinct streak.
The most important differences with meteors:
- Speed: slower than natural meteors,
- Fragmentation: larger pieces may break off in flight,
- Trajectory: they cover a longer stretch of sky.
Is it dangerous?
Most space junk completely burns up in the atmosphere before it reaches the surface. In rare cases, small fragments survive and fall in distant places or into the oceans. The likelihood of them hitting humans is negligible.
Nevertheless, space agencies track large objects to predict and control their entry into the atmosphere.
Why so much scrap metal in orbit?
Since the beginning of the space age, we have sent thousands of missions into space. Many satellites stopped working, and older rockets were not designed for safe disposal. Nowadays, there is more awareness of the problem and missions are planned so that the debris burns up in the atmosphere, falls from orbit in a short period of time or is carried to a so-called “graveyard orbit.”
Beauty in the last act
While space debris is a problem for satellites and future missions, for night sky enthusiasts it can be a rare, fascinating spectacle. The next time you see a slowly moving, glowing streak between stars, you may be witnessing the last seconds of existence of an object that for years orbited hundreds of kilometers above Earth.
Tip: if you manage to capture such a moment on a recording, note the time, date and direction - astronomers can then determine exactly what fell to Earth.