89 minutes after my son watched a SpaceX Falcon 9 launch 23 Starlink Satellites (#6-55) from Cape Canaveral, Florida, I captured what I presume to be the second stage performing a de-orbit burn [**see note at bottom] in the southwest sky. I was in the middle of shooting a sky panorama to the north when something caught my eye, so I wheeled the camera around and caught the last part of it. I initially thought I was seeing a very bright satellite flare, but it was so much brighter than any I’d ever observed. Once I saw the image I assumed it must have been some sort of short burn from a rocket body, but I have minimal services and cannot yet look into this in detail.
So, I’ll just leave this right here for now…
[EDIT: Have confirmed that the bright plume is actually liquid oxygen being vented from the second stage prior to de-orbiting.]
