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The strange glowing spiral seen in the UK last night, which confused many people, was actually caused by a rocket launch. The rocket’s exhaust mixed with the upper atmosphere, creating a spiral shape. It wasn’t anything unusual, just a result of the rocket launch.
If you looked up at the night sky on Monday and saw what seemed like a glowing galaxy spinning, you weren’t the only one — and you weren’t imagining it.
People across England, Wales, and parts of Europe were amazed as they watched a bright, swirling spiral in the sky.
For many people, it looked like something from a sci-fi movie.
Social media was filled with questions, videos, photos, and theories — with some jokingly wondering if aliens had arrived. But the real explanation is just as amazing, and it’s completely made by humans.
What Were The Glowing Spirals Seen In The Sky?
The strange sight made many people go to social media to ask what the spirals could be. In fact, Google Trends shows a big jump in searches from UK users about “sky spirals.”
Luckily, the Met Office quickly explained the mystery. They said the spiral was caused by Elon Musk’s SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
“This is likely to be caused by the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, launched earlier today,” the Met Office posted on X. “The rocket’s frozen exhaust plume seems to be spinning in the atmosphere and reflecting sunlight, making it appear as a spiral in the sky.”
The Falcon 9 launched from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center at around 1:50 PM local time (5:50 PM GMT) on March 24.
It was part of a classified US government mission for the National Reconnaissance Office.
A Stunning Side Effect of Rocket Science
So why did it look like a glowing whirlpool in the sky?
As the Falcon 9 came back to Earth after releasing its payload, it dumped leftover fuel — a normal safety step to prevent explosions during re-entry.
The excess fuel froze instantly due to the high altitude. Since the rocket spins as it comes back down, the frozen exhaust formed a spiral pattern that reflected sunlight, lighting up the night sky below, according to BBC News.
Professor Brian Cox confirmed it was a frozen plume from the Falcon 9, and the Met Office wasn’t the only one to confirm this.
Astronomer Allan Trow, who saw the spiral above Wales’s Bannau Brycheiniog National Park around 8:00 PM GMT, said, “These are pretty rare,” but agreed it was most likely caused by the rocket.
“It Looked Like a Swirling Galaxy”
People across the UK were amazed by the rare display — and they had a lot to say.
In one tweet, Trow described the sight as a “portal to another world.”
Steven Hall, who was taking the bins out at his home in rural Suffolk, saw what looked like “a huge Catherine wheel with its own atmosphere around it.”
“It did cross my mind, is this an unexplained, unidentified flying object?” he admitted to the BBC.
Meanwhile, a sky-watcher in Lytham St Annes, Lancashire, said the swirl “started off as a bright light, then [had] a blurry ring around it, and then a spiral.” They added: “[It] hovered over this church for about five minutes before starting to move and disappearing.”
Sonia, an amateur astronomer in Stockport, was already out with her telescope when she spotted “a swirling galaxy that was moving across the sky.”
Keeley Williams, who watched from Ivinghoe Beacon in Buckinghamshire, said it “started off hazy, then became really bright before looking like it was spinning.”
The spiral wasn’t limited to just one part of the country either.
Photos of the phenomenon were shared from places like Bulwick in Northamptonshire, Clee Hill in Shropshire, Gwynedd in Wales, Castleford in West Yorkshire, and even as far as Denmark and Milan, Italy.
Whether you were taking out the trash or stargazing, it’s safe to say this was a night sky display no one expected — or will forget anytime soon.
