NASA’s Swift telescope returns to Earth, fiery streak seen in sky
CNN Central News & Networks / ITDC India ePress / ITDC News / Agencies, Bhopal:
The US space agency NASA’s 22-year-old Swift space telescope turned into a fireball as it entered Earth’s atmosphere. People in several parts of South-East Asia saw the spectacle of its return on 4 November 2026. Some residents of Malaysia and Indonesia also recorded videos of a bright streak of fire moving rapidly across the sky, which are spreading quickly on social media.
According to the US Space Force, NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory entered the atmosphere over North Sumatra, Indonesia, at around 6:09 pm Indian Standard Time on Wednesday evening. Its speed was about 22 times the speed of sound. During atmospheric entry, most of the spacecraft burned up and was destroyed because of extreme heat and friction. However, some of its stronger and heavier parts were considered likely to survive.
The telescope, weighing about 1,450 kilograms, was launched in November 2004. It was initially designed for only a two-year mission, but it continued working for more than two decades. Its main objective was to study gamma-ray bursts occurring in the universe. It also gathered important information related to black holes, supernovae and other astronomical events.
At present, there has been no official confirmation of its debris falling at any location or causing damage. According to scientists, the bright sight seen in the sky was the event of the spacecraft breaking apart and burning during its entry into the atmosphere.
Hashtags: #ScienceTechnology #Bhopal #NASA #Swift #Telescope #Earth #Returned #Sky #FieryStreak #NASASwiftTelescopeReturned
