Mysterious white sky spiral spotted in UK
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A glowing spiral that appeared in the night sky over Britain on Monday evening was caused by a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch, experts have confirmed.
The unusual formation, described by witnesses as a "swirling blue-white glow," was visible for about 30 minutes as it moved slowly from north to south.
The phenomenon sparked speculation on social media, with some observers initially suggesting it could be an unidentified flying object (UFO) or a satellite re-entry.
Experts later identified the source of the spectacle as the exhaust plume from a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, which had launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, at 5:48pm UK time.
According to scientists, the frozen rocket exhaust, illuminated by sunlight at high altitude, created the glowing spiral effect. The UK's Met Office confirmed it had received multiple reports of the anomaly.
"This is likely to be caused by the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, launched earlier today," a Met Office spokesperson said. "The rocket's frozen exhaust plume appears to be spinning in the atmosphere and reflecting the sunlight, causing it to appear as a spiral in the sky."
Many Britons took to social media to share images and videos of the spiral. Ben Thomson from Hampshire posted on X, formerly Twitter, saying, "It was too slow for a satellite but appeared to be at a high altitude. It was very bright at its central point and created a swirl effect which was also lit up as it moved."
Others reported the sighting to UFO hotlines, prompting further speculation before experts identified the true cause.
SpaceX later confirmed that the Falcon 9 rocket was carrying a classified payload for the US government's National Reconnaissance Office. The Falcon 9, a reusable rocket, returned to Earth approximately eight minutes after launch.
According to satellite expert Dr. Marco Langbroek of TU Delft, the swirling glow was likely caused by a fuel dump from the rocket. "The Falcon 9 ejects leftover fuel before re-entering the atmosphere," he explained. "At high altitudes, the fuel freezes instantly, forming a spiral pattern as it disperses."
Similar incidents have been observed before. In February, another Falcon 9 rocket launch left fireball-like trails in the sky over Europe.
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