Mysterious objects have been spotted falling from the sky and shattering in several states, leaving thousands perplexed by the cosmic display.

Bright streaks of lights appeared in parts of Colorado, Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas, leaving people wondering if it was a possible fireball or part of a series of meteor showers.

Dozens of people reported the phenomenon around 9 p.m. ET, saying the lights streaked across the sky for 60 seconds before disappearing.

Witnesses filmed the spectacle, revealing what appeared to be a glowing red and orange meteor shower as it split into several parts before slowly fading and disappearing from the night sky.

One Texas resident reported that it “first appeared to go straight up into the sky, then pass directly overhead and we could see it break up as it traveled directly overhead.”

Another person from the Lone Star State described it as “by far the brightest meteor event I have ever witnessed.”

However, astronomer and orbital debris expert Jonathan McDowell confirmed that the light show was caused by the breakup of a SpaceX Starlink satellite as it re-entered Earth’s atmosphere.

A Starlink satellite unleashed a fiery spectacle as it re-entered Earth’s atmosphere Saturday evening.

People in Oklahoma, Colorado, Kansas and Texas wondered if the lights in the night sky (pictured) were caused by fireworks.

SpaceX has thousands of its Starlink satellites orbiting Earth to provide internet access to remote areas around the world, and launched 98 of them this year as of mid-October.

At the end of their mission, Internet satellites are designed to reenter the atmosphere to avoid cluttering Earth’s orbit with space debris.

McDowell told Space.com that these satellites “dominate” the disorder in Earth’s atmosphere, adding that “there is now a Starlink re-entry almost every day, sometimes several.”

The satellite re-entered over Washington State and continued southeast before disappearing over North Texas.

One Oklahoma resident described the satellite as “a bright ball of fire heading southeast, moving slowly, appearing to be split into 3 parts,” while another called it “the hottest thing coolest thing I’ve seen.”

Some people have speculated that the satellite was part of a series of three meteor showers – the Leonids and the Southern and Northern Taurids – that peaked this month.

The number of Starlink satellites reentering the atmosphere has increased significantly over the past five years, from 50 to 100 per year to around 300 per year.

“We’re seeing a similar increase in the number of satellites now that hundreds of Starlink satellites are starting to fall,” McDowell said. Espace.com.

The satellite entered over Washington state and flew over the southeastern United States before shutting down over north Texas.

Researchers have discovered that burning satellites in the atmosphere could destroy the ozone layer. Pictured: Starlink satellite burns as it re-enters Earth’s atmosphere

Although burning satellites upon re-entry into the atmosphere has become common practice, researchers wonder whether the metal particles could destroy ozone over time.

This is because the satellites are very large and burn slowly, releasing aerosol particles less than a micrometer in size.

A Study 2023 found that satellite reentries have already begun to change the composition of the stratosphere.

A NASA WB-57 aircraft found 500,000 unique aerosol particles containing 20 different elements, including lithium, aluminum, copper and lead.

Of all the elements found, aluminum was the most concerning because it could react with hydrogen chloride – a pre-existing component in the stratosphere – causing it to split and destroy ozone.

Pierre Lionnet, director general of ASD Eurospace, a professional association for the space industry, said Science.org that the number of satellites returning to Earth matters.

SpaceX has more than 6,000 satellites in orbit and the company has already asked the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for permission to launch another 30,000 into low orbit.

Because of the massive volume of Starlink satellites, Lionnet said, “You have to wonder if (SpaceX) isn’t creating a major problem in 30 years.” »