Space Weather News for Feb. 21, 2007
from SpaceWeather.com:
On February 19th, late-night sky watchers across Australia witnessed a bright explosion followed by a debris cloud that hung in the sky for nearly an hour. At first a mystery, the source of the blast is now understood. It was a Russian Briz-M rocket booster misplaced in orbit last year by the failed launch of an Arabsat communications satellite. The fuel tanks of the Briz-M ruptured on Feb. 19th, producing a vivid naked-eye display and more than 1000 pieces of debris. Experts are calling this a "major breakup event," comparable to or even worse than last month's Chinese anti-sat test.
Visit SpaceWeather.com for more information and pictures of the Briz-M breakup.
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