Latest news with #MerlinTomkins
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Mysterious blue spiral spotted over European skies. What was it? (photos)
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Is it a plane? Is it a satellite? Is it a galaxy? Is it aliens? A strange blue spiral lit up the skies over Europe on Monday night (March 24), causing residents of the U.K. and other European countries like Croatia, Poland, and Hungary to flood social media with photos and videos, along with requests to identify this weird light. Some users even speculated that the spiral could be the work of aliens! can reveal the identity of the object behind this spectacular event, and unfortunately (possibly reassuringly), rather than being the work of extraterrestrial visitors, it's a bit more down to Earth. The cause of the strange blue spiral is actually a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket that blasted off from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida at 1:48 p.m. EDT (1748 GMT) on Monday. The rocket was carrying the secretive NROL-69 mission for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO). The spiral appeared over Europe at around 4 pm EDT (2000 GMT) and persisted in the sky for a few minutes. The X feed of Shanghai Daily shared a stunning timelapse video of the spiral appearing and expanding over the skies of Croatia. As the above post indicates, the strange blue whirlpool, which to many social media users resembled a spiral galaxy, is an example of what some people call a "SpaceX spiral." These structures develop after the upper stage of a Falcon 9 rocket has separated from its first-stage booster. As the upper stage continues towards space, the lower stage falls back to Earth. As this happens, the booster stage begins to spiral, simultaneously dumping what remains of its fuel. Due to the altitude at which this fuel is ditched, it freezes instantly, preserving a swirling pattern created by the booster's motion. When light reflects from this structure, it creates these strange-looking manifestations in the sky. X user Merlin Tomkins captured the wonder and mystery of this object in images posted to his X feed. X user Shu from Wolverhampton in England was slightly more concerned about the spiral manifestation in the sky, writing on his X feed: "So it seems many of us across Europe (I am in Wolves UK) just witnessed an object in the sky, I thought it was the moon behind cloud at first until it started moving with spiraling light emanating from it... any ideas?" Physicist and science communicator Brian Cox took to his X feed to reassure U.K. and European citizens like Merlin and Shu that the event they witnessed was associated with the SpaceX launch earlier that day. Though the spiral has a terrestrial origin, that doesn't mean its manifestation in the sky is any less spectacular in appearance. Daniel Puchalski posted images of the blue spiral in the Facebook group Smartphone Astrophotography, commenting: "Captured this stunning sight of a Falcon 9 fuel dump over Poland! Taken handheld with a Xiaomi 14 Ultra. An unforgettable view!" He also shared the incredible photos with Image 1 of 5 A mystery blue spiral captured by Daniel Puchalski in the sky over Poland on March 24 Image 2 of 5 Image 3 of 5 Image 4 of 5 Image 5 of 5 Astronomer Allan Trow caught the spiral with an icy white hue over the sky of Bannau Brycheiniog National Park in Wales. He shared the image via his @AlDarkSkyWales X account. X user matts shared an incredible video of the SpaceX spiral gradually fading from the sky over the course of around 3 minutes. SpaceX spirals like this one seen over the U.K. and Europe remain fairly rare, but with Falcon 9 and other rocket launches becoming more common, they are likely to soon become a more familiar sight. Related Stories: — SpaceX: Facts about Elon Musk's private spaceflight company — SpaceX launches classified spy satellite for US military, lands rocket — SpaceX launches next-gen US spy satellites on 100th Falcon 9 flight of the year (video, photos) Some people may be disappointed by the rational explanation for this spiral light in the night sky. The aforementioned Shu responded to a commentator discussing the spiral's true identity: "I wish it was an invasion; I could use the time off work." We feel you Shu!
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
What is the mysterious spiral spotted in the sky? Scientists reveal cause of strange ‘space portal'
Several Brits spotted a mysterious light blue spiral in the sky on Monday night. The strange phenomenon was seen around 8.00pm, raising speculation as to what it might be caused by. Incredible a glowing spiral appeared in the sky over the UK and Europe, likely caused by frozen fuel released from a SpaceX rocket's second stage after launch. The pattern was visible for several minutes before — Volcaholic 🌋 (@volcaholic1) March 24, 2025 The spiral was spotted from England, Wales and other parts of Europe. It could be seen for a few minutes before fading. Experts said that the unusual sight was caused by frozen fuel from a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, which launched for the NROL-69 mission on Monday. Excess fuel turns to water vapour and reflects sunlight, causing the spiral shape to form. Brian Cox, a professor in particle physics in the School of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Manchester said on X: 'For everyone asking about the strange spiral shape in the sky earlier - it was associated with this launch'. For everyone asking about the strange spiral shape in the sky earlier - it was associaed with this launch — Brian Cox (@ProfBrianCox) March 24, 2025 UK Astronomy also commented on the strange sighting: 'Lots asking about this! It's the 2nd stage deorbit burn from the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket'. One Brit posted on X: 'Anyone have any idea what it is I read it could be a @SpaceX rocket but didn't know they were visible in Yorkshire UK'. Merlin Tomkins, posting from North Wales, said on X: 'Just saw a very strange object cross the night sky,' he said, Was followed by what seemed to be a satellite. Disappeared when it moved se suggesting was lit by sun'. Just saw a very strange object cross the night sky in n wales. Bright satellite or plane which was surrounded by a thin wispy spiral cloud which radiated from the object. Was followed by what seemed to be a satellite. Disappeared when it moved se suggesting was lit by sun. — Merlin Tomkins 🇺🇦 (@MerlinTomkins) March 24, 2025 Meanwhile, another spectator offered an alternate explanation: 'Weird thing to see in the sky at night. What are we thinking? Bit of a rocket launch spinning off and outgassing or out…fuelling? Aliens?' In 2021, a similar spiral was spotted in the sky following the launch of China's Long March 2C rocket. A similar swirl was also seen in Norway in December 2009, proceeding a Russian missile test in the area.
