Mysterious Glowing Spiral Over UK Sky Linked to SpaceX Launch
A massive luminous spiral spotted in the nighttime sky over various areas of the UK on Monday is thought to be the result of a SpaceX rocket launch in the United States.
The fluffy-shaped formation, observable for several minutes prior to vanishing, is thought to have resulted from residual propellant discharged by the spacecraft into orbit.
The Falcon 9 rocket launched by Elon Musk’s aerospace manufacturer ascended at approximately 13:50 local time in Florida (17:50 GMT) for a secretive mission commissioned by the US government.
The Falcon 9 is designed for reuse. Once it reaches outer space, it deploys its payload—this could be anything from a satellite to another cargo needed for the mission—which then proceeds with its designated task without further assistance from the rocket itself.
The rocket subsequently reverses direction and heads back toward Earth. During this process, it releases any remaining fuel, causing it to freeze immediately into a spiral formation because of the high altitude and the rocket’s motion.
The light gets reflected from the icy propellant, making it observable on our planet.
The luminous whirl was captured in photographs from England and Wales and was observed in various regions across Europe.
Astronomer Allan Trow mentioned that it was visible above Wales’s Bannau Brycheiniog national park around 8 p.m.
He mentioned that he had witnessed the same occurrence roughly four years earlier.
“But these are pretty rare,” he told the LIFEHACK, and agreed the rocket was its likely source.
SpaceX stated on X that the launch was part of a United States government National Reconnaissance Office mission. Similarly, the Kennedy Space Center mentioned on X that the launch was a classified mission for the same organization.
