Dutch tracker Ralph van Dijk successfully captured a rare, high-resolution photo showing an old Soviet space capsule, part of the "Kosmos 482" probe, orbiting Earth.
The photo was captured as the capsule was coming towards the Earth's atmosphere, nearly half a century after its launch.
Van Dijk, a specialist in tracking space objects, stated that the photo shows 'a clearly compressed spherical object,' describing the shot as 'astonishing by all measures.'
He noted that the capsule appeared about 130 kilometers closer to Earth compared to the "Starlink" satellites, which helped highlight its details more clearly.
The photo also showed 'stretched and weak structure' next to the spherical object in some frames. This structure may be the landing parachute originally intended for use on the surface of Venus.
"Kosmos 482" was launched in 1972 by the Soviet Union as part of a mission to explore Venus.
However, the device failed to leave Earth's orbit, and the spacecraft's landing unit has been orbiting Earth ever since.
Observers and space enthusiasts are closely monitoring the object's return to Earth, with Marco Langbroek, from the "SatTrackCam" center in the Netherlands, noting that the capsule could re-enter the atmosphere on May 10, with an error margin of ± 2.2 days.
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