Weird expanding halo of light seen in Hawaii from Minuteman III missile launch

[somone]

http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2011/06/29/awesomely-weird-expanding-halo-of-light-seen-from-hawaii/

Awesomely weird expanding halo of light seen from Hawaii
Phil Plait

Every now and again something weird and wonderful happens in the sky, and for a few minutes I’m totally perplexed about what it is.

And then there’s something that makes me literally gasp and say "WHAT THE FRAK WAS THAT?"

Yeah. Check out this amazing video:
http://vimeo.com/25743686

[TheWraith]

1. That's interesting. Can't be a thermal effect, the dissipation is too even.

My second thought was a flash of infrared light from the ignition of the rocket motor, but that's a bit too slow for a light burst.

[Mnemosyne]

2. Awesome is an apt description. Thanks somone! K&R n/t

[leveymg]

3. Best explanation offered is an expanding ring of rocket fuel. Looks like a burning shock wave. But,

if this were a normal part of the separation of the upper stages of a sold-fuel rocket, it would likely have been observed before.

An alternative explanation would be vaporization of the upper stage by some sort of intense energy burst, either orbital, airborne or possibly sea-based. I think the US Navy would welcome such a mission for itself. In other words, a test of a directed energy or possibly an interceptor missile ABM system.

[Richard D]

4. Wow

I Wonder:

Was that taken in infrared?
How far away was it?
Real time?
How fast was that circle expanding and how big did it get?

[leveymg]

5. Here's some estimates (revised):

Looks like natural light video.

It's difficult to find accurate flight data for the Minuteman III - not surprisingly. But, see,
http://www.bing.com/videos/watch/video/icbm-flight-minuteman-iii-launch/947377d1a90f80eaeafd947377d1a90f80eaeafd-892450242882?q=Minuteman+III&FROM=LKVR5>1=LKVR5&FORM=LKVR4

Here's what Wiki says:

Minuteman-III MIRV launch sequence (not currently operational):
1. The missile launches out of its silo by firing its 1st stage boost motor (A).
2. About 60 seconds after launch, the 1st stage drops off and the 2nd stage motor (B) ignites. The missile shroud (E) is ejected.
3. About 120 seconds after launch, the 3rd stage motor (C) ignites and separates from the 2nd stage.
4. About 180 seconds after launch, 3rd stage thrust terminates and the Post-Boost Vehicle (D) separates from the rocket.
5. The Post-Boost Vehicle maneuvers itself and prepares for re-entry vehicle (RV) deployment.
6. The RVs, as well as decoys and chaff, are deployed during backaway.
7. The RVs and chaff re-enter the atmosphere at high speeds and are armed in flight.
8. The nuclear warheads detonate, either as air bursts or ground bursts.


However, if the performance is more similar to the Delta Booster, at 3 minutes into the flight the rocket would still be in first stage burn and the distance and altitude would be consistent with the following:

718 GMT (12:18 p.m. EST)

T+plus 4 minutes, 50 seconds. MECO. The first stage main engine cutoff confirmed, the stage has been jettisoned and second stage engine ignition has occurred.

1718 GMT (12:18 p.m. EST)

T+plus 4 minutes. About a half-minute left in the first stage burn.

1717 GMT (12:17 p.m. EST)

T+plus 3 minutes. Some minor data dropouts reported from the first stage. But the vehicle continues to perform normally. Altitude is 35 miles, downrange distance 111 miles, velocity of 6,300 mph.

1716 GMT (12:16 p.m. EST)

T+plus 2 minutes, 20 seconds. The three air-start solid rocket boosters have burned out and separated. The rocket continues its trek to orbit on the power of the first stage liquid-fueled main engine.

1716 GMT (12:16 p.m. EST)

T+plus 2 minute. Downrange distance 42 miles, velocity is 3,900 miles per hour.

1715 GMT (12:15 p.m. EST)

T+plus 1 minute, 15 seconds. All six ground-start solid rocket boosters have burned out and separated. The three air-lit solids have ignited.

1714 GMT (12:14 p.m. EST)

Thirdly, if the performance for the Minuteman III is more similar to the Taurus, 3rd stage separation might occur within 3 minutes:

Taurus/Glory launch timeline
BY SPACEFLIGHT NOW
Posted: February 22, 2011

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T+00:00 Liftoff
The first stage Castor 120 solid rocket motor is ignited and the Taurus rocket launches from pad 576E at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.
T+01:25 Staging
After burning its solid-fuel propellant, the first stage is separated to fall into the Pacific Ocean. At the same time, the Orion 50SXLG solid rocket motor second stage is ignited.
T+02:50 Second stage jettison
Having completed its firing at T+plus 2:45, the second stage separates from the rest of the Taurus rocket. The spent stage falls into the Pacific Ocean.
T+02:52 Third stage ignition
The Orion 50XL solid rocket motor third stage ignites to continue the climb to orbit.
T+02:58 Jettison payload fairing
The payload fairing nose cone that protected the spacecraft during the atmospheric ascent opens like a clam shell and falls away from the rocket.
T+04:11 Third stage burnout
The Taurus rocket's third stage ends its burn after consuming all the solid-fuel propellant. A ballistic coast period now begins as the rocket heads toward the apogee of its final orbit.
T+05:15 Third stage separation
The spent third stage is separated from the Taurus rocket's upper stage in preparation for the final push to orbit.
T+09:58 Fourth stage ignition
The Taurus rocket's upper stage, an Orion 38 solid rocket motor to complete the powered flight for this launch, basically raising the perigee to achieve a circular orbit.
T+11:10 Fourth stage burnout
The fourth stage completes its firing after consuming all of its solid-fuel propellant, injecting the stage and attached payloads into the desired orbit around Earth.
T+13:05 Glory separation

For a comparison of various launch vehicles, see: https://wakata.nascom.nasa.gov/launch_services.htm


Initial guesstimate:

If, indeed, this is related to the Minuteman missile launch from Vandenberg AFB, and we take 3 minutes after liftoff as our timeframe, and a conventional trajectory that would take the missile out toward the RWR target range in the Marshall Islands, we can calculate that the distance at about 800-1500 miles east of Mauna Kea, HI. Let's guesstimate 1000 miles as the distance. The phenomenon appears to be low on the horizon, which also suggests a great distance, assuming it was an early 3rd stage burn explosion. My guess would at 180 seconds into the flight with such a trajectory the altitude would be 80-120 miles.

One may calculate the size of the "bubble" based upon the volume of rocket fuel in the 3rd stage and the rate of expansion of burning solid rocket fuel in space, both values are probably available form Open Sources. Have fun.

[billh58]

6. I have no idea what

this is, but I used to be an air traffic controller in Honolulu Tower. On occasion we would see something very similar to this picture, and it was caused by a rocket launch from the Barking Sands Pacific Missile Range on Kauai. They were conducting upper atmospheric tests and using chemicals which produced the halo effect.