6 upvotes, 2 direct replies (showing 2)
View submission: What was this object
This was in Virginia. Is that in the flight path?
Comment by wucebillis at 03/07/2024 at 14:52 UTC*
12 upvotes, 1 direct replies
A couple factors meant this was more visible than usual for VA and the east coast:
1. This was a high-inclination launch, meaning instead of flying due east from Florida (which would align its orbit around the equator, +/- a few degrees), the rocket was headed northeast towards a more polar orbit. This meant its flight path stayed close to the east coast for longer than usual.
2. A combination of time of day and altitude of the rocket meant it was illuminated by the sun, which from OP's perspective was still below the horizon. It's the same reason why visible space station passes are just before sunrise or after sunset: the station is being illuminated by the sun from below the horizon, making it quite bright in an otherwise dark sky.
Comment by ClearlyCylindrical at 03/07/2024 at 11:48 UTC
10 upvotes, 0 direct replies
They need to be in higher latitude orbits to increase coverage area, so yes.