A bizarre spinning white spiral was spotted in the sky over Britain on Monday night, leaving many “starstruck.” Experts say the unusual shape is linked to a SpaceX rocket launch. The phenomenon occurs when excess fuel from the rocket turns to ice and then water vapor, which reflects sunlight in the upper atmosphere.
The sighting was captured by multiple people across different counties, including Yorkshire, Hertfordshire, Bristol, Milton Keynes, Stoke-on-Trent, and Kent. Professor Brian Cox, a renowned astronomer, confirmed that the spiral shape is associated with the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch. He shared a video of the rocket’s first stage landing on social media.
This is not the first time such an event has occurred. In 2021, a similar sighting was linked to a Chinese Long March 2C rocket launching a satellite into orbit. American astronomer Jonathan McDowell explained that the spiral shape forms when the rocket tumbles end over end while venting its fuel, creating a perfect spiral due to the lack of air in space.
The phenomenon is comparable to a blue swirling light seen over Norway in December 2009, which was caused by Russia’s missile test. Onlookers described it as a “big fireball that went around” with a “great light around it.”
Source: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14532797/mysterious-spinning-white-spiral-Britain-experts-SpaceX.html