Mysterious bubble over Mauna Kea, July 30, 2024.

This is the Asahi Shimbun Space Department of one of Japan's leading newspapers. With the cooperation of the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan and the University of Tokyo, we bring you the world's best starry skies.

[therion]

Atlas V launched USSF-51 on that day, so it's probably its second stage venting residual propellant..

[Dyingplay]

I see others have already mentioned this, but it looks like a standard rocket launch, most likely venting from an upper stage as it hits that high atmosphere, very little pressure at those altitudes, so gasses from venting tend to plume out and expand like this exactly. Watch a Falcon-9 launch, you'll see it just like this every time. Now, if the "orb" shape maintained and crossed the sky that would be different... BUT, this looks to be a standard rocket doing it's thing. 120 Science Points in KSP...

[ARBevill]

A few days ago, mid-morning/early after noon, there was a round shadow above the 2nd from left dome. It appeared to go behind said dome when it slid out of sight. I saw same thing maybe a week ago as well. 😊

[fierceperedur]

It blew a moisture ring going out? Great perspective.

[MrLaprius]

It's "the guardian" or "rover" balloon thingy from The Prisoner! Number 6 has escaped again! Code Orange!

[kate]

That bubble has appeared there before. It was years ago, and it grew huge really fast then popped.

[stuff]

Agree with others about spacex rocket stage separation or venting.

[railgap]

rocket staging, gas from same expanding

[ZombieGrandpa]

Agreed as below. This is a classic sign of a stage separation. The sunlight reflects off the charge and propellant used in stage separations.

And the "UFOs" seen twirling round in the night skies, leaving a trail of glowing light behind them are failed stage separations, propellant tank ruptures, etc. I use to live near Vandenberg AFB where the Air Force launches military projects into space. They leave some beautiful rainbows in the sky during the day and at night an amazing glow. But if something goes wrong, you get the twirling light show.

[Preview]

That kind of spread is pretty much always the exhaust from a rocket launch far away.

[Alien_A]

bubble seen over Mauna Kea on July 30, 2024. The phenomenon was an expanding light bubble captured on webcams from observatories near the summit, including the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope. The bubble's appearance was likely caused by a missile launch, specifically a Minuteman III ICBM test

[joepugh]

It's either Glinda or something I've never heard of...

[AhJodie]

There is so much interesting stuff in that sky! Wow!

[AG-yhhi]

Possibly an explosion from a space weapon test

[NightRunner]

I've got a really cool bit of video I still haven't uploaded that clearly shows a bright "satellite" passing overhead with a huge, almost sky spanning, v-shaped red glow slowly billowing in behind it. I think it was a spacecraft re-entry exciting gasses in the upper atmosphere. Space vehicle related phenomena always amp up the UFO crowd for very good reason - always looks way strange.

[GaryMcKinnonUFO]

Could it be some kinf of lens artefact ? I'm thinking this because it seems to mirror itself in the vertical.

[Knut-Kase]

Sorry, ate taco bell that day. You're seeing the gas explosion I had 45 minutes after eating!

[rcher]

What about all of the other objects in the background flying all over the place, some were swerving and changing direction slightly (comets, meteorites, satellites travel in straighter lines).

[domskey]

Could it be yesterdays Atlas V launch?

[nashambenyisrael]

What type of camera is this ? It’s very powerful