A new research paper published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters claims that the explosion of SpaceX’s Starship rocket last November created a temporary hole in Earth’s ionosphere. The ionosphere is the region in the upper atmosphere where charged particles stripped of their electrons by solar radiation form the boundary between Earth and space.

The Starship explosion, which occurred at an altitude of about 56 miles (about 90 kilometers) after separation from the second stage, created cone-shaped acoustic shock waves that propagated through the ionosphere. These waves had a large amplitude and propagated in a northerly direction, which is unusual for such events, the researchers said.

The researchers say the hole more or less closes after 30 to 40 minutes. While the circumstances behind this are unique, they are relatively common events because the exhaust from rocket launches can cause ionized atoms to recombine and lose their charge. Natural events such as volcanic eruptions can cause disturbances in the ionosphere.