Japanese researchers sent a rocket into the ionosphere to basically create “three, huge red glowing orbs in the sky for a minute and a half.” First picture in gallery.
These luminous orbs will be the result of three clouds of lithium vapor released into the ionosphere by a rocket launched in an experiment to study the atmosphere. The red glow will be caused by sunlight striking the lithium vapor clouds as they disperse. �In the first few seconds after each lithium release, the light should become as large and bright as the moon,� says team member Masayuki Yamamoto, a professor at Kochi University of Technology.
[via Gizmodo – Pinktentacle]