SpaceX launch: Glowing spiral seen above UK skies

A large glowing spiral visible in the night sky on Monday is believed to have been caused by a SpaceX rocket launch in the US.

The Met Office said the shape was likely produced by a frozen plume of fuel from the rocket’s exhaust, which reflected the sunlight and appeared to spin in the atmosphere.

The cloud-like shape was visible for several minutes above the UK and elsewhere in Europe before fading.

The Falcon 9 rocket from Elon Musk’s space company lifted off at 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 the payload, it is carrying, such as a satellite.

The rocket then turns back around towards Earth. As it does, it ejects any leftover fuel, which freezes instantly due to the altitude, and forms into a spiral pattern because of the rocket’s movement.

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

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

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.