Mysterious Glowing Spiral Appears Over UK and Ireland
General News
Tuesday 25th, March 2025
2 minute read.
A large, luminous spiral was spotted in the night sky over the UK and Ireland on Monday evening the 24th of March 2025, leaving many stargazers in awe. Observers from as far north as Denmark and as far south as Milan in Italy reported witnessing the strange phenomenon, which remained visible for several minutes before gradually fading away.
The Met Office later explained in a post on X that the spiral was most likely caused by frozen exhaust fumes from SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket, launched earlier in the evening.
"The rocket's frozen exhaust plume appears to be spinning in the atmosphere and reflecting the sunlight, causing it to appear as a spiral in the sky", the Met Office stated.
These glowing spirals are formed when fuel ejected from the fast-spinning upper stages of the Falcon 9 rocket instantly freezes in the high-altitude environment of space. The frozen particles reflect sunlight back towards Earth, creating a mesmerising visual effect.
A News reader from Lytham St Annes in Lancashire described how the swirl "started off as a bright light, then [had] a blurry ring around it and then a spiral".
"[It] hovered over this church for about five minutes then started moving and disappeared", they added.
Keeley Williams, another observer, noted that the swirl "started off hazy, then became really bright before looking like it was spinning".
The Falcon 9 rocket in question was launched from Florida at approximately 17:50 GMT (13:50 local time) on Monday, as part of a classified mission for the United States government. SpaceX has yet to comment on the spectacle, but similar sightings have been recorded following previous launches.
Such events are becoming more frequent as the number of space missions increases, particularly those conducted by private companies like SpaceX. While they can often prompt initial speculation about unidentified flying objects, scientists have reassured the public that these glowing spirals are a well documented consequence of rocket launches.
The Met Office later explained in a post on X that the spiral was most likely caused by frozen exhaust fumes from SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket, launched earlier in the evening.
"The rocket's frozen exhaust plume appears to be spinning in the atmosphere and reflecting the sunlight, causing it to appear as a spiral in the sky", the Met Office stated.
These glowing spirals are formed when fuel ejected from the fast-spinning upper stages of the Falcon 9 rocket instantly freezes in the high-altitude environment of space. The frozen particles reflect sunlight back towards Earth, creating a mesmerising visual effect.
A News reader from Lytham St Annes in Lancashire described how the swirl "started off as a bright light, then [had] a blurry ring around it and then a spiral".
"[It] hovered over this church for about five minutes then started moving and disappeared", they added.
Keeley Williams, another observer, noted that the swirl "started off hazy, then became really bright before looking like it was spinning".
The Falcon 9 rocket in question was launched from Florida at approximately 17:50 GMT (13:50 local time) on Monday, as part of a classified mission for the United States government. SpaceX has yet to comment on the spectacle, but similar sightings have been recorded following previous launches.
Such events are becoming more frequent as the number of space missions increases, particularly those conducted by private companies like SpaceX. While they can often prompt initial speculation about unidentified flying objects, scientists have reassured the public that these glowing spirals are a well documented consequence of rocket launches.
