On the evening of September 19, a bright object with a long tail was observed in the sky over Tashkent. The phenomenon was captured in videos circulating on social media. The press service of the Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan commented on the event.

Experts from the Astronomical Institute of the Academy of Sciences conducted a preliminary analysis of photos and videos and reported that the object's appearance, movement characteristics, and trail do not match the signs of a meteor or bolide. According to them, the object resembles a rocket part.

According to Kamoliddin Ergashev, a senior researcher at the institute, the most likely explanation is that it was the spent first stage of a Long March-2D (Chang Zheng-2D) launch vehicle launched from China's Taiyuan Cosmodrome. This rocket successfully delivered four PIESAT-2 series satellites into orbit.

"Preliminary orbital calculations show a very good match between the launch time, the rocket's orbit, and the time and direction of the observed event over Tashkent. Therefore, at this stage, the most probable explanation is that the event observed in the sky over Tashkent may be related to the rocket stage of this space launch or one of the subsequent orbital processes," he said.

At the same time, the scientist added that it is still too early to firmly conclude that this object is exactly a part of that rocket. For an independent full identification of the event, the necessary elements and data on newly launched objects are not yet available in international orbital catalogs.

Source: www.gazeta.uz