On Monday, March 24, a spectacular swirl of light captured the attention of observers across Europe, resembling an ethereal whirlpool drifting through the night sky. While the stunning display led some to speculate about extraterrestrial involvement, the reality was far more terrestrial: it was a dormant SpaceX rocket making its way back to Earth after successfully deploying its secret cargo into orbit.
At approximately 8 p.m. local time (4 p.m. ET), numerous eyewitnesses throughout the U.K. reported seeing the luminous swirl grow larger as it gracefully moved across the sky, akin to a scene from a science fiction film. According to the BBC, regions in England—such as Lincolnshire, Yorkshire, Leicestershire, Suffolk, and Essex—as well as parts of Wales and even countries like Sweden, Croatia, Poland, and Hungary, experienced the breathtaking light show.
Photographer Simon Minnican documented this extraordinary event in a captivating video, showing a bright spot that gradually expanded into an expansive vortex. The entire light show lasted around 12 minutes, with the spiral dissipating roughly 4 minutes after it reached its peak.
Initial reactions included wild theories about the origin of the light, with some attributing it to unidentified flying objects (UFOs). However, experts quickly clarified that this mesmerizing display was a known phenomenon associated with SpaceX rockets. Specifically, it was a SpaceX spiral—a visual effect that occurs when light reflects off rocket fuel released into space by the spinning Falcon 9 rocket before it reenters Earth's atmosphere.
The Falcon 9 rocket responsible for this stunning spiral had launched from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida at 1:48 p.m. ET, over 4,000 miles (6,400 kilometers) away from where the spiral was observed. This mission involved a covert payload for the National Reconnaissance Office, as reported by Space.com.
SpaceX spirals materialize when the second stage of a Falcon 9 rocket de-orbits and prepares for reentry. During this phase, the rocket releases its remaining fuel into space, which subsequently freezes into tiny crystals that reflect sunlight back to Earth. The spinning motion of the second stage at the time of fuel release creates the signature spiral shape of the resulting cloud, leading to the continually expanding vortex.
These spirals were once considered rare occurrences, but with the increase in Falcon 9 rocket launches, they have become increasingly common. Recent instances include a unique horned spiral observed in May 2024 and a striking blue SpaceX spiral that photobombed an aurora display in Alaska in April 2023.
Not every Falcon 9 reentry results in a visible SpaceX spiral, but amateur astronomers often attempt to predict when such phenomena might occur based on various factors, including the rocket's trajectory, payload, spin rate, and launch time. In this particular instance, however, the launch details were kept under wraps due to the mission's classified nature.
As SpaceX continues to expand its operations, observers can expect to see more of these stunning light displays in the future, further captivating the imagination of skywatchers around the globe.
