People across the UK and most of Europe have taken to social media after spotting a mysterious large, glowing spiral in the night sky on Monday.
Stargazers across the UK, France, and even as far as Italy noticed a cloud-like shape in the sky that lingered for several minutes before fading.
The mysterious spiral stunned some social media users, with one person writing: “I saw a glowing spiral in the UK sky and thought UFO.
“Its movement… was so odd I couldn’t help but think: UFO.”
But what was it? Thankfully, the Met Office has quickly stepped in to clear up the mystery for confused Brits.
What was it?
The Met Office explained on social media that the spiral was likely caused by leftover fuel released by the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched on Monday afternoon.
After launching into space, the SpaceX rocket releases its payload – such as a satellite – before heading back to Earth.
As it turns back to earth, it ejects leftover fuel, which instantly freezes at high altitude.
The rocket’s movement creates a spiral pattern, and the frozen fuel reflects light, making the glowing shape visible from the ground, the Met Office explained.
The Falcon 9, a reusable rocket from Elon Musk’s SpaceX, is designed to safely carry people and cargo into orbit and beyond. So far, it has completed more than 400 journeys.
In its latest expedition, it lifted off from Florida at 17:50 GMT on Monday, on a classified mission for the US government.
Photo Credit: @metoffice/ X
Via ITV
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