A spectacular “ghostly” spiral light was recently spotted across the night sky in several US states as part of the Perseid meteor shower. The phenomenon, triggered by a rocket reentry, has left experts uncertain about its exact origin.
The spiral appeared in at least 10 states, including Maryland, New York, and Illinois, between 10:30 p.m. ET on August 12 and dissipated within 10 minutes. It was captured by astrophotographers Joshua Thum and Dan Bush, who attributed the spectacle to rocket fuel freezing into a cloud of tiny crystals that reflect sunlight onto Earth’s surface.
Initial reports suggested the spiral was triggered by a United Launch Alliance Vulcan Centaur rocket launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida. However, further investigation revealed that an Ariane 6 rocket from French Guiana released a European weather satellite minutes earlier, sparking debate among experts about which rocket caused the phenomenon.
While most glowing structures have been attributed to SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rockets, the recent sighting remains unclear. The increase in rocket launches has led to more frequent appearances of glowing spirals and light shows, with some of the most notable examples recently reported over Europe and the Arctic.
The Perseid meteor shower is a natural phenomenon that occurs annually, but the addition of human-made objects in the sky adds an extra layer of complexity to astronomical observations.
Source: https://www.livescience.com/space/space-exploration/ghostly-spiral-photobombs-perseid-meteors-over-several-us-states-and-experts-are-unsure-what-caused-it