There was a lot of discussion about a potential alien encounter on Monday night after a huge glowing spiral illuminated the skies over the United Kingdom. Experts now, however, think that the spectacular display was caused by a SpaceX rocket launch.
Some initially thought it was a UFO or even an airplane because of the swirling formation that was visible throughout Britain for several minutes. But since then, it has been connected to the Falcon 9 rocket that was launched earlier that day from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
SpaceX, the company founded by Elon Musk, claims that the unusual occurrence was most likely brought on by the rocket’s frozen exhaust plume. The Met Office explained on social media platform X that the plume spun in the atmosphere, catching sunlight and creating the spiral effect.
According to Lord Dover, a senior technical officer at the Bayfordbury Observatory of the University of Hertfordshire, the spiral was visible for approximately ten minutes beginning at 7:52 p.m. and then vanished over the horizon.
“To reduce weight before returning to Earth, the rocket dumped excess fuel in the upper atmosphere,” Dover said. As the fuel moved across the Atlantic, it expanded and swirled, creating a massive spiral shape. These sights remain a rare treat for observers in the United Kingdom, despite being fairly common elsewhere.
Social media was inundated with pictures and reports from all over Europe, so the spectacle was not limited to Britain. Online, hundreds of shocked skywatchers posted about their experiences.
Suffolk resident Steven Hall told the BBC about his surprise. “I saw this enormous Catherine wheel in the sky while I was taking out the bins, and it seemed to have its own atmosphere around it,” he remarked. “I did consider the possibility that it was a UFO for a brief moment.”
Even though the spiral might not have been an indication of extraterrestrial visitors, it did provide a moment of wonder and awe, serving as a reminder of the breathtaking sights our skies can provide, even if they have more terrestrial origins.
The question is whether our thoughts are accurate.
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