Britons were left amazed on Monday night after spotting a mysterious spinning blueish-white spiral in the sky. Some social media users humorously speculated it could be aliens or a portal to another world.
However, experts soon explained the unusual sight was caused by illuminated frozen fuel expelled from a SpaceX rocket. This light blue spiral occurs when excess fuel released by the fast-spinning rocket freezes into ice, reflecting sunlight in the upper atmosphere before transforming into water vapor.
The cause was traced back to SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket, which launched for the US government’s classified NROL-69 mission. Elon Musk’s company is known for producing visual effects like this when fuel is expelled into the atmosphere.
One Briton, astonished by the sight, shared on X, “Just seen this weird spiral of light in the sky while me and little lad were looking at stars with his telescope.”
Social media was buzzing with speculation after the mysterious spiral was spotted across the UK. One person wrote, “Anyone have any idea what this is? I read it could be a @SpaceX rocket, but didn’t know they were visible in Yorkshire, UK. One minute it’s there, then it’s gone!”
Another user joked, “Weird thing to see in the sky at night. What are we thinking? A rocket launch spinning off and outgassing, or… aliens?”
The stunning spiral was seen in various locations, including Yorkshire, Hertfordshire, Bristol, Milton Keynes, Stoke-on-Trent, Hampshire, and Kent. Someone in Wales added, “Just saw a very strange object cross the night sky. A bright satellite or plane surrounded by a thin wispy spiral cloud radiating from it.”
The Met Office responded to the phenomenon, noting, “We’ve received many reports of an illuminated swirl in the sky late on Monday.” While some had wondered about extraterrestrial involvement, the Met Office clarified the cause: “This is likely to be caused by the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, launched earlier today.”
The unusual spiral was caused by the rocket’s frozen exhaust plume, which spun through the atmosphere and reflected sunlight, creating the distinctive spiral shape in the sky. Legendary physicist Professor Brian Cox shared a video of the Falcon 9 launch from Florida on his X post, confirming the source of the phenomenon: “For everyone asking about the strange spiral shape in the sky earlier – it was associated with this launch.”
UK Astronomy also chimed in, explaining, “Lots asking about this! It’s the 2nd stage deorbit burn from the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.”
This isn’t the first time such a spectacle has occurred. In 2022, people in New Zealand witnessed a similar event when the Falcon 9 rocket dumped its fuel, forming a glowing blue swirl in the sky. As the rocket spun, it created a vapor trail that reflected sunlight, producing a serene, visible blue spiral that moved across the night sky.
A similar phenomenon occurred in 2021 when China’s Long March 2C rocket launched a satellite into orbit. Some compared it to a portal from the “Doctor Strange” movie, but American astronomer Jonathan McDowell clarified the cause: “The spiral happens when the rocket is tumbling end over end while venting its fuel – it’s exactly like a garden sprinkler,”
The reason the spiral appears perfect in space is because, unlike on Earth, there’s no air to distort the shape. “That’s why it looks surprising to us,” explained McDowell. “We’re not used to seeing such perfect geometries because on Earth, there’s always wind or friction to mess with things.”
The phenomenon shares similarities with a spectacular event seen over Norway in December 2009. A blue swirling light lit up the morning sky, caused by a failed missile test conducted by Russia. The Bulava intercontinental ballistic missile, test-fired from a submarine in the White Sea, malfunctioned during its third stage.
Norwegians were left puzzled as a giant blue spiral formed in the sky, shooting a green-blue beam from its center. Onlookers described the scene as “like a big fireball that went around, with a great light around it” and “a shooting star that spun around and around.”
