'It was all luck': Photographer captures SpaceX rocket shooting across Manitoba's skies
A photographer out camping in a Manitoba provincial park saw a spectacular sight as he gazed up into the stars – the launch of a SpaceX rocket shooting across the sky.
Justin Anderson, a Manitoba-based Aurora chaser and night sky photographer, had been camping in Nopiminig Provincial Park on the weekend with a friend. The two had been photographing Northern Lights when, around 1:13 a.m. on Sunday, they saw something.
"It was all luck," Anderson told CTV News. "We just got back to our campsite when he pointed out to me saying, 'Hey, what's that in the sky?' and we thought initially it was the moon just because it was so bright – and it just kept getting brighter and brighter.
"That's when I grabbed my camera and started recording."
What Anderson and his friend saw hundreds of kilometres above their head was the launch of the SpaceX Globalstar FM15 mission. The Falcon 9 rocket launched on Sunday at 12:27 a.m. ET at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
Anderson said has never seen anything like it before and didn't expect to see it in Manitoba.
"It's been on my bucket list to shoot a rocket launch for a while," he said. "But I was thinking I would have to plan a trip to Florida for that, not a trip to Nopiming Provincial Park."
Scott Young, the planetarium astronomer at the Manitoba Museum, said there were similar sightings of across North America.
"It matches exactly the path of a SpaceX rocket that was basically putting a satellite into orbit," he told CTV News. "A lot of people could see it. They have no idea what it is at the time and then only afterwards are we able to sort of figure out what it was they saw."
He said it takes a lot of luck to be able to see a rocket like this shooting across the stars. However, Young said it is the perfect time of year to be looking skywards as the northern hemisphere approaches the summer solstice. During this time the sky from our perspective is dark, but everything in orbit is lit up by sunlight, giving stargazers quite a show.
"If you don't see a newly rocket launch, you might see an old rocket that is tumbling around and flashing or a satellite where the sun glints off of the solar panel," he said. "There's always something going on up there in the sky, so it's always worth watching."
Young said what makes these sorts of sightings so spectacular is the fact that you don't need specialized equipment see it – you just have to be in the right place at the right time.
Anderson said now that he has seen it, he plans to spend a bit more time planning out his trips in hopes of catching another launch.
"It was just a pretty incredible experience," he said. "And it was pretty special to get my first rocket launch in Manitoba too."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Engaged couple shot dead fleeing landlord after house dispute near Hamilton, Ont., police say
A 'truly innocent' engaged couple was shot dead while attempting to flee their attacker outside their home after a landlord-tenant dispute escalated on Saturday night, according to police.

Turkiye's Erdogan wins 5th term as president, extending rule into 3rd decade
Turkiye President Recep Tayyip Erdogan won reelection Sunday, extending his increasingly authoritarian rule into a third decade in a country reeling from high inflation and the aftermath of an earthquake that levelled entire cities.
Venice authorities investigate after canal turns fluorescent green
Venetian authorities are investigating after a patch of fluorescent green water appeared in the famed Grand Canal on Sunday morning.
Blais scores 2 as Canada downs Germany 5-2 for record 28th title at hockey worlds
Samuel Blais scored two goals to rally Canada to a 5-2 victory over Germany in the final of the ice hockey world championship on Sunday.
Jan. 6 rioters are raking in thousands in donations. Now the U.S. is coming after their haul
Less than two months after he pleaded guilty to storming the U.S. Capitol, Texas resident Daniel Goodwyn appeared on Tucker Carlson's then-Fox News show and promoted a website where supporters could donate money to Goodwyn and other rioters whom the site called 'political prisoners.'
3-year-old boy dies after drowning in backyard pool west of Toronto
Police are investigating the death of a three-year-old boy who was pulled from a backyard pool in Oakville on Saturday.
Alberta NDP holds rally in Calgary, UCP talks about crime, mental health supports
Alberta NDP Leader Rachel Notley held a major rally in downtown Calgary Saturday morning, while her United Conservative rival had no public events planned this weekend after a final pitch to voters a day earlier.
'The Little Mermaid' makes box office splash with US$95.5 million opening
'The Little Mermaid' made moviegoers want to be under the sea on Memorial Day weekend.
Paul Walker honoured by brother Cody who names newborn son after the ‘Fast & Furious’ star
As seen in People, Cody Walker and his wife Felicia have named their newborn son Paul, in tribute to the fallen 'Fast & Furious' star. Paul Barrett ('Bear') Walker was born late last month.