Light captured by Southern Cross-Island Highway camera identified as Chinese rocket booster

A 4K real-time star-gazing camera installed by the Taitung County Government at the Yakou section of the Southern Cross-Island Highway captured a streak of light crossing the sky at 12:23 AM today. Liu Chih-an, executive director of the Taipei Astronomical Association, analyzed the footage and concluded it was not a fireball, but rather a booster detached from China's Long March 7 rocket. The footage shows a glowing object trailing smoke, followed by a brief, bright separation event. Liu confirmed that the rocket was launched from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site on Hainan Island at 12:16 AM. Based on the flight timeline, the booster separation occurs 174 seconds after liftoff, matching the timing of the observation.