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SpaceX Rocket Leaves Behind Stunning 'Reddish Glow'

SpaceX Rocket Leaves Behind Stunning 'Reddish Glow'

Yahoo22-04-2025
SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket left a spectacular 'reddish glow' in its wake as it launched two satellites and a research capsule into orbit sky on Monday night, April 21, according to an astronomer who captured striking footage of the launch.
Video from Frankie Lucena, who operates an observatory in Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico, shows what astronomers identified as an 'ionospheric hole effect' as the rocket pierced through the ionosphere - a layer of the Earth's atmosphere - and created the glowing red cone-shaped effect seen under the rocket's path.
The Caribbean Astronomical Society, said such holes in the ionosphere disappear quickly and don't appear to have a permanent impact, but said research was needed to assess possible long-term risks of as the number of rocket launches increases. Credit: Frankie Lucena via Storyful
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