Glowing spiral over Britain linked to SpaceX rocket fuel dump

(Web Desk): A glowing spiral seen in the night sky over Britain on Monday was caused by a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch, experts confirmed.

The unusual sight, described as a "swirling blue-white glow," was visible for about 30 minutes, moving slowly from north to south. People on social media initially speculated that it could be a UFO or a satellite re-entry.

Experts quickly identified the source of the phenomenon as the exhaust plume from a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, which had launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, at 5:48 pm UK time. The rocket’s exhaust, frozen at high altitude and illuminated by sunlight, created the glowing spiral effect.

The UK Met Office confirmed receiving several reports about the strange sight. A spokesperson said, "This is likely caused by the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, launched earlier today. The frozen exhaust plume appears to be spinning in the atmosphere and reflecting sunlight, making it look like a spiral in the sky."

Many people in Britain shared photos and videos of the spiral online. Ben Thomson from Hampshire posted on X (formerly Twitter), saying, "It was too slow for a satellite but appeared to be at a high altitude. It was very bright at its center and created a swirl effect that was also lit up as it moved."

Some people even reported the sighting to UFO hotlines, sparking further speculation until experts confirmed the cause.

SpaceX later confirmed that the Falcon 9 rocket was carrying a classified payload for the US government's National Reconnaissance Office. The rocket, which is reusable, returned to Earth about eight minutes after launching.

Dr. Marco Langbroek, a satellite expert from TU Delft, explained that the swirling glow was likely due to a fuel dump from the rocket. "The Falcon 9 ejects leftover fuel before re-entering the atmosphere," he said. "At high altitudes, the fuel freezes instantly, forming a spiral pattern as it spreads."

This wasn’t the first time a similar incident occurred. In February, another Falcon 9 launch created fireball-like trails in the sky over Europe.