The Petrozavodsk phenomenon

Record summary

On 20 September 1977, residents across parts of the Soviet Union and northern Europe reported a luminous object or jellyfish-like display associated with the so-called Petrozavodsk phenomenon. Contemporary accounts connected it with a broad atmospheric event, while later investigation linked it to a Soviet rocket launch, generally identified as a Kosmos satellite launch. The lead matters for comparison because unusual sky displays generated both anomalous interpretations and a conventional aerospace explanation. Exact witness numbers, locations, and descriptions vary across translated reports.