Bye, bye, Humanity Star. We hardly knew you.
On Thursday, Rocket Lab's Humanity Star satellite -- effectively a disco ball flying through a low orbit around Earth -- re-entered Earth's atmosphere, burning up in the process.
According to U.S. Strategic Command, the satellite, which was designed to occasionally flash, becoming the brightest object in the night sky, de-orbited at about 9:30 a.m. ET.
SEE ALSO:Astronomers really hate that bright disco ball satellite secretly launched to spaceThe Humanity Star's life was short.
The satellite was launched as a secret payload aboard one of Rocket Lab's Electron launchers in January. It was initially expected to orbit the planet for about 9 months, but it didn't quite pan out that way.
"We always anticipated the Humanity Star would deorbit quickly and set 9 months as a maximum lifespan," Rocket Lab CEO Peter Beck said. "We knew it would experience a lot of drag and come down quickly as it’s a relatively large, hollow low mass object." (Props to The Atlanticfor first spotting that the Humanity Star's re-entry was imminent.)
Even though the Humanity Star art project -- which was launched in order to help people all over the world look up and marvel at the universe for a moment -- was short-lived, it was still a success, according Beck.
"Thousands of people told us they went outside with friends and loved ones to experience it together, and that's hugely encouraging to me," Beck said in a statement.
"While the Humanity Star was a brief moment in human history, I hope the conversations and ideas it sparked around the world will continue to be explored. These are the conversations that will play a part in shaping how we collectively manage our planet and work together to solve the challenges facing us all."
Not everyone was happy about the Humanity Star, however.
The announcement of the short-lived satellite's launch was met with dismay and annoyance by astronomers around the world.
Tweet may have been deleted
Anything that's bright and launched into space could potentially mess up astronomical observations. For example, if a bright satellite like the Humanity Star crosses in front of a ground-based telescope as an astronomer is using it, the satellite could interfere with those observations.
"I liked it when disco died the first time," astronomer Andy Howell said on Twitter. "Now we get to see it again! I'm gonna put on Disco Inferno to celebrate."
Rocket Lab isn't planning on launching another Humanity Star anytime soon, according to Beck.
"There are no plans to put another one up," Beck said. "It was designed to be a short lived, one-off project."
For their sake, plenty of astronomers are probably hoping that's true.
(责任编辑：時尚)
Tommy Ford dead at 52: Actor starred in 'Martin,' 'The Parkers'
Tommy Ford, television actor best known for his roles in 。 Martin 。and。 The Parkers 。, has died at the
...[详细]
你家孩子愛吃你做的菜嗎 ？相信很多人不敢點頭吧 。孩子不愛吃家裏的菜 ，容易引發偏食厭食 ，非常影響身心的發展 。所以 ，為了孩子的健康，你應該跟我學學如何做好草莓奶油杯子蛋糕1.12蛋黃 ，牛奶
，植物油攪勻2.2
...[详细]十一長假已經進入了倒計時階段，塵封已久的你 ，想必已經計劃好外出遊玩了吧 。外出遊玩 ，你必然嚐到當地的美食 。不過如果你水土不服
，肯定很難受吧 。所以 ，你最好還是在家做好吃的帶出去
。下麵 ，就讓我來給你介紹一下
...[详细]過慣了依賴的生活 ，你是否已經喪失了很多能力 。至少對於大部分人來說 ，現在已經喪失了做飯的能力。想要全能的你 ，肯定不希望自己這樣
。所以 ，現在就請跟我來學一下如何做好飄香花生小餅幹 。1.黃油切塊軟化2.加入
...[详细]Melania Trump threatens to sue 'People' over sexual misconduct story
First came Donald vs. the 。 New York Times
。, now it's Melania vs.。 People.。Amid multiple accusations
...[详细]天天在家吃飯，你或許有點偏食厭食.食欲不振了，這也許是因為你家的飯菜太過於單一 ，又或者是味道不好 。這時的你 ，需要重新定義下“做菜的標準”。下麵
，就請跟著小編一起來學習如果做好抹茶櫻花蛋糕卷1.將鹽漬櫻
...[详细]很多好的美食，不僅僅隻有飯店的廚子才能做出來 。自己也可以在家做一下 ，當然了這就需要自己學習一下。下麵介紹牛油果西冷丁沙拉的做法，自己學習一下，在家嚐試做一下吧1.熱鍋放少許橄欖油
，放入牛排；2.用勺子
...[详细]天天在家吃飯 ，你或許有點偏食厭食.食欲不振了 ，這也許是因為你家的飯菜太過於單一，又或者是味道不好 。這時的你 ，需要重新定義下“做菜的標準” 。下麵 ，就請跟著小編一起來學習如果做好抹茶櫻花蛋糕卷1.將鹽漬櫻
...[详细]A first look at the London flagship Apple Store's airy new makeover
LONDON — Apple's UK flagship store is back after being closed for renovation — and it's
...[详细]過慣了依賴的生活 ，你是否已經喪失了很多能力
。至少對於大部分人來說
，現在已經喪失了做飯的能力。想要全能的你 ，肯定不希望自己這樣 。所以，現在就請跟我來學一下如何做好飄香花生小餅幹 。1.黃油切塊軟化2.加入
...[详细]
