Wall Of Freaky Green Lasers Is Seen Streaking From A China Satellite Over Hawaii

A strange occurrence was caught in the night sky in Hawaii that may have left some thinking there was a glitch in the matrix. The actual cause of the green laser light show in the night sky was a satellite, first believed to be emanating from a NASA satellite orbiting Earth. Upon further investigation, however, it is now believed to have come from a different source.

The laser show was captured by the 8.2 meters, optical infrared Subaru Telescope located in Maunakea, Hawaii, on January 28, 2023. New Scientist first reported in a Tweet that the lasers were coming from NASA's ICESat 2 satellite. The satellite measures "glacier height, sea ice, forests, lakes, and more." According to a correction note on the video, NASA scientist Dr. Martino Anthony shared that the lights did not come from the ICESat 2 satellite, but from another "instrument".

The note continued, "His colleagues, Dr. Alvaro Ivanoff et al., did a simulation of the trajectory of satellites that have a similar instrument and found a most likely candidate as the ACDL instrument by the Chinese Daqi-1/AEMS satellite."

The Daqi-1 has five remote sensing instruments onboard, including an atmospheric detection lidar, called the Aerosol and Carbon dioxide Detection Lidar (ACDL). Lidar is an acronym for laser imaging, detection, and ranging, and sends out lasers to map an area. It was this instrument that is thought to have created the green lights over Hawaii.


A press release from the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation in 2021, explained, "Daqi-1 can monitor fine particle pollution like PM2.5, pollutant gasses including nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide and ozone, as well as dioxide concentration."

The satellite's purpose is to provide comprehensive monitoring of the atmospheric environment in an attempt to battle climate change. China plans on producing a series of Daqi satellites, which will be utilized to monitor atmospheric pollution, while supporting scientific research into global climate change, according to the 2021 press release.

As more of these satellites are launched into orbit, it is likely these laser light shows will be seen more often around the world.