An unexplained green laser light suddenly appeared in the cloudy sky above Mount Fuji in Japan last September 16, 2022. Museum curator Daichi Fujii was able to capture this unusual occurrence on video using motion-detecting cameras that are usually positioned in high areas to capture cosmic events, such as meteors.
Mysterious Green Laser Light Finally Solved
Upon closer inspection, Fujii realized that the mysterious lights were synchronized with a tiny green dot that appeared between the clouds, SciTech Daily reports. After investigating orbital data, Fujii determined that the source of the beams was NASA's Ice, Cloud, and Land Elevation Satellite 2 (ICESat-2).
He shared his results on social media, which drew the attention of the NASA team. The space agency stated that they never saw the footage of the satellite's laser beams pouring from orbit to Earth before.
Tony Martino, instrument scientist for ICESat-2 at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, noted that ICESat-2 appeared to be directly overhead of Fujii, with the beam hitting the low clouds at an angle.
In an official statement, he explained that one has to be in the exact position, at the right time, and under the right conditions to see the laser. The laser light, fired from hundreds of miles up in space, is not harmful; and it is challenging to spot.
While numerous people attempted to photograph the satellite, only a few were successful. Because cameras and eyes require the laser light to reflect off something in order to view it from the side, the beam is far more difficult to capture.
However, on the night ICESat-2 sailed over Fuji City, there were enough clouds to scatter the laser light and make it visible to cameras, but not enough clouds to completely block off the light.
Martino was able to confirm that the light's streaks came from ICESat-2's laser by analyzing the ICESat-2 data, which shows clouds and the ground below. He carefully studied the satellite's precise location in space, where the beam struck, the coordinates of Fujii's cameras, and the atmospheric conditions.
Ultimately, the combination of cloudy conditions, the satellite's location, and the location of Fujii's cameras enabled them to capture footage of the laser beams.
More About NASA's ICESat-2 and Its Mission
ICESat-2 was launched in September 2018. Its primary mission is to measure the height of Earth's ice, ocean, and land surfaces from orbit using laser light. The spacecraft has a GPS and highly exact center-of-gravity knowledge, allowing the satellite to compute its position in orbit to within 16 feet.
Knowing the spacecraft's altitude is critical since the equipment monitors the distance between the spacecraft and the Earth. The Earth's elevation readings will be incorrect if ATLAS is higher or lower than predicted.
ATLAS, the height-measuring instrument, is powered and orbited by the spacecraft. ICESat-2 also has a revolutionary method of positioning itself in space, which involves linking the instrument to the processes that regulate how the satellite is positioned in orbit. This enables the components of the spacecraft that guarantee the satellite is flying in the appropriate orientation to be integrated into the instrument itself.
The ATLAS instrument, which includes lasers, a telescope, and a detector, also has a laser reference system built into it. This system ensures that the laser is aligned with the telescope and tells the spacecraft where the telescope is pointing. Engineers have also done ground calibration tests and assessments to fine-tune the spacecraft's placement.
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Check out more news and information on ICESat-2 in Science Times.
