Mysterious Light Over Australia Identified as Chinese Rocket, Not UFO

A mysterious glowing object streaking across the night sky over New South Wales and Queensland on Tuesday night sparked confusion and speculation among Australian residents, with theories ranging from a SpaceX launch to a meteor or even a UFO. Astrophysicist Professor Jonti Horner from the University of Southern Queensland revealed the object was actually the Zhuque-2E Y6 rocket, operated by the private Chinese company LandSpace. The rocket was launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in the Gobi Desert at 6:20 pm local time, carrying two direct-to-cell communication satellites. Its appearance became visible in Australian skies approximately 20 minutes after launch. Although it was dark on the ground in Australia, the rocket appeared brilliantly illuminated because it was still exposed to sunlight in the upper atmosphere. The stunning blue-white glow, described by witnesses as resembling a jellyfish, was caused by sunlight reflecting off gas released by the rocket. Professor Horner explained the phenomenon: “It’s basically the rocket venting excess gas, dumping it into space before deploying the satellites.” He noted that if the rocket had been within Earth’s shadow and not exposed to sunlight, the display would not have been visible. However, due to its high altitude, the gas cloud reflected sunlight, creating the luminous effect. Witnesses reported the silvery or bluish orb gradually turned red before disappearing. Professor Horner clarified that this colour change occurred as the rocket and its gas plume moved into Earth’s shadow. “The plume and the rocket ahead of it just moved into Earth’s shadow. When you’re at sunset and you look up at the clouds, or you look at the Earth around you, things turn red. It’s the same thing here,” he said. He advised the public not to be surprised if they see similar sights in the future, as the commercial space industry is rapidly expanding and the number of rocket launches into orbit will continue to increase year after year.