Latest news with #NROL-69
Daily Tribune
26-03-2025
- Science
- Daily Tribune
SpaceX rocket fuel makes stunning swirl in European sky
AFP | Paris Email : editor@ A stunning blue and white spiral spotted in skies across Europe late Monday was created by frozen fuel tumbling from a SpaceX rocket, according to weather forecasters and scientists. The UK's Met Office said on X it had received many reports of an "illuminated swirl" in the sky on Monday evening likely caused by a rocket that had blasted off earlier from Cape Canaveral in Florida. "Don't panic! No, it wasn't a UFO but the degassing of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket," said the French state weather forecaster Meteo France in the country's central Loire Valley. Pictures of the vivid swirl were also posted by social media users in countries including Sweden, Poland, Hungary and Croatia. People across Europe may have had the chance to see the phenomenon -- as long as it was not obscured by clouds, planetary scientist James O'Donoghue of the UK's University of Reading told AFP. The spiral was created after the rocket's first-stage booster, which blasted it off the ground, separated and the upper stage took over, he said. As the booster fell back to Earth, it vented leftover fuel, which froze into reflective crystals. "These crystals caught the sunlight, creating the bright spiral pattern in the sky," O'Donoghue said. "The spiral shape happened because the tumbling rocket was spinning as it released the fuel." Spy satellite? The swirl was created by the launch of SpaceX's NROL-69 mission. Exactly what it was carrying into space was classified. But the mission was conducted for the National Reconnaissance Office, which manages the US military's spy satellites. "The Falcon 9 reusable rocket booster returned safely to Landing Zone 1 after delivering the national security payload to orbit," the office said in a statement. A similar spiral was spotted above New Zealand in 2022, also from the workhorse Falcon 9 rocket, according to reports at the time. The venting of the gas that creates these spirals is not dangerous, O'Donoghue said. It can happen to other rockets, but the sheer number of Falcon 9 launches makes it a likely suspect. The timing of this launch -- during the European twilight -- as well as the season, cloud cover and other factors affect whether people on the ground can see such spirals, O'Donoghue said. Billionaire Elon Musk's SpaceX has taken a "fail fast, learn fast" approach that has helped it become the world's dominant launch services provider. The company's massive Starship rocket exploded during its latest test flight this month, with social media footage showing red-hot debris raining down over the Bahamas.
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Glowing blue spiral over Europe dazzles and perplexes. There's an explanation familiar to SoCal
A large, bright blue spiral spotted over Europe on Monday night sparked chatter on social media about what might have caused the mysterious vortex. Videos posted on the X showed a blue orb in the night sky that was visible in the U.K., France and other countries. In a post on X, AccuWeather said the mesmerizing blue spiral might have been caused by a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The post quoted the U.K. Met Office in saying,the spiral probably came about due to the rocket's "frozen exhaust plume... spinning in the atmosphere and reflecting the sunlight, causing it to appear as a spiral in the sky." The flight, dubbed NROL-69, launched shortly before 2 p.m. from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, according to Space X's website, where the launch can be seen on video. A spokesman for SpaceX could not immediately be reached for comment. A Falcon 9 has previously caused a stir in Southern California with the light show it left in its wake. Sci-fi fans might see a similarity with another blue vortex. The spiral is reminiscent of the phenomenon in the 1980 film "The Final Countdown," in which the USS Nimitz enters a blue vortex and travels through time to the day before the attack on Pearl Harbor. Of course, it's Hollywood, no explanation is needed. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
26-03-2025
- Science
- Los Angeles Times
Glowing blue spiral over Europe dazzles and perplexes. There's an explanation familiar to SoCal
A large, bright blue spiral spotted over Europe on Monday night sparked chatter on social media about what might have caused the mysterious vortex. Videos posted on the X showed a blue orb in the night sky that was visible in the U.K., France and other countries. In a post on X, AccuWeather said the mesmerizing blue spiral might have been caused by a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The post quoted the U.K. Met Office in saying,the spiral probably came about due to the rocket's 'frozen exhaust plume... spinning in the atmosphere and reflecting the sunlight, causing it to appear as a spiral in the sky.' The flight, dubbed NROL-69, launched shortly before 2 p.m. from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, according to Space X's website, where the launch can be seen on video. A spokesman for SpaceX could not immediately be reached for comment. The Falcon 9 has previously caused a stir in Southern California with the light show it left in its wake. Sci-fi fans might see a similarity with another blue vortex. The spiral is reminiscent of the phenomenon in the 1980 film 'The Final Countdown,' in which the USS Nimitz enters a blue vortex and travels through time to the day before the attack on Pearl Harbor. Of course, it's Hollywood, no explanation is needed.
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Spectacular blue spiral light brightens up night sky, likely from Space X rocket
A mysterious spiraling blue light illuminated the night skies over Europe on Monday. The cosmic whirlpool was captured in stunning video and appears to have been created by the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket booster falling back toward Earth, according to experts. Time-lapse video taken from Croatia at around 4 p.m. EST, or 9 p.m. local time, shows the glowing light spinning across the sky in what many social media commentators likened to a spiral galaxy. The full video at normal speed lasts for about six minutes. Elon Musk Congratulates Spacex, Nasa For 'Excellent Work' Rescuing Stranded Astronauts The Met Office in the U.K. said it had received many reports of an "illuminated swirl in the sky" and said it was likely caused by the Space X rocket which launched from Cape Canaveral in Florida at around 1:50 p.m. EST as part of the government's classified NROL-69 mission. The Elon Musk-owned SpaceX was launching a payload on behalf of the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), the government's intelligence and surveillance agency. "This is likely to be caused by the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, launched earlier today," the Met Office wrote on X. "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." Read On The Fox News App The glowing light is an example of what some people call a "SpaceX spiral," according to Spacex Dragon Capsule Sticks Splashdown Landing As Nasa Astronauts Return Home After Months Stuck In Space SpaceX spirals develop after the upper stage of a Falcon 9 rocket separates from its first-stage booster. As the upper stage continues towards space, the lower stage falls, spiraling back to Earth, dumping what remains of its fuel. The fuel then freezes instantly due to its high altitude and light then reflects on it, creating the strange-looking glow in the sky, per the outlet. Fox News Digital reached out to SpaceX for comment but did not immediately receive a response. Monday's cosmic display came just days after a SpaceX team working with NASA returned two stranded astronauts from article source: Spectacular blue spiral light brightens up night sky, likely from Space X rocket
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!
