A brilliant spiral that appeared in the night sky above Great Britain on Monday evening was caused by a launch of SpaceX Falcon 9, experts confirmed.
The unusual formation, described by witnesses as a “whirling blue-white-white”, was visible for about 30 minutes while it was slowly moving from north to south.
The phenomenon has triggered speculation on social networks, some observers initially suggesting that it could be an unidentified flying object (UFO) or a back -to -school satellite.
Later, experts identified the source of the show as the exhaust plume of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, which had been launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, at 5:48 p.m.
According to scientists, the exhaust of frozen rockets, illuminated by high altitude sunlight, created the brilliant spiral effect. The Met Office of the United Kingdom confirmed that it had received multiple reports on the anomaly.
“This is likely to be caused by the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, launched earlier during the day,” said a spokesperson for Met Office. “The glowed exhaust plume of the rocket seems to be running in the atmosphere and reflecting sunlight, which made it appear as a spiral in the sky.”
Many British went to social networks to share images and videos of the spiral. Ben Thomson de Hampshire posted on X, formerly Twitter, saying: “It was too slow for a satellite but seemed to be at a high altitude. It was very brilliant at its central point and created a swirling effect which was also lit as it moved.”
Others reported observation to UFO hotlines, which caused new speculations before experts identify the real cause.
SpaceX later confirmed that the Falcon 9 rocket bore a classified payload for the US government’s national recognition office. The Falcon 9, a reusable rocket, returned to earth about eight minutes after the launch.
According to the satellite expert, Dr. Marco Langbroek by Tu Delft, the swirling glow was probably caused by a fuel dumping rocket. “Falcon 9 ejects fuel before entering the atmosphere,” he said. “At high altitude, fuel freezes instantly, forming a spiral pattern as it disperses.”
Similar incidents have already been observed. In February, another launch of Falcon 9 rocket left Boulerie de Feu in the sky above Europe.
