Glowing spiral in UK sky believed to be caused by SpaceX launch

A large glowing spiral that appeared in the night sky above parts of the UK on Monday is believed to have been caused by a SpaceX rocket launch in the US.

The cloud-like shape, which was visible for several minutes before fading, is believed to have been caused by leftover fuel released by the rocket in space.

The Falcon 9 rocket from Elon Musk’s space company lifted off around 13:50 local time in Florida (17:50 GMT) on a classified US government mission.

The Falcon 9 is a reusable rocket. After launching into space, it releases what is called its payload – whatever it is carrying, such as a satellite, to complete its mission – which continues its journey into space.

The rocket then turns back around towards Earth. As it does, it ejects any leftover fuel, which freezes instantly due to the altitude in a spiral pattern caused by the rocket’s movement.

Light is then reflected off the frozen fuel, making it visible on Earth.

The glowing swirl was photographed in England and Wales, and was also seen in parts of Europe.

Astronomer Allan Trow said it had appeared above Wales’s Bannau Brycheiniog national park at around 20:00.

He said he had seen the phenomenon before around four years ago.

“But these are pretty rare,” he told the BBC, and agreed the rocket was its likely source.

Stockport-based Sonia was already out with her telescope when she saw “a swirling galaxy that was moving across the sky”.

People living almost 200 miles (321km) away also spotted the unusual glow.

Steven Hall was taking his bins out from his home in rural Suffolk when he saw what looked like “a huge Catherine wheel which appeared to have its own atmosphere around it”.

He added: “It did pass my mind, is this an unexplained, unidentified flying object?”

SpaceX said on X the launch was carried out on behalf of the US government National Reconnaissance Office mission. The Kennedy Space Center also said on X the launch was a classified mission for that office.