Stargazers capture viral images of mysterious spiral in England sky

Video of Falcon 9 Rocket lends clues to its existence

An illuminated swirl was captured in England's sky. Experts say it was likely caused by a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. (Copyright 2025 by WJXT News4JAX - All rights reserved.)

A strange spiral in the sky over England caught the attention of many stargazers Monday night.

The sight, which was most likely caused by a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket that launched from Kennedy Space Center around 2 p.m., was shared by the British meteorological agency and went viral, with people wondering about its origin.

Experts believe the spiral was formed by frozen excess fuel released from a reusable SpaceX rocket returning to Earth after launching a satellite. The rocket’s spin in the upper atmosphere caused the fuel to freeze into a spiral shape. Sunlight reflecting off the frozen fuel made it visible.

Simon Minnican, a photographer, filmed a captivating scene in which a bright spot emerged, steadily increasing in size before evolving into a swirling vortex.

Minnican stitched the video from the Falcon 9 deorbit burn and fuel dump visible over the UK. The entire event unfolded over 12 minutes, with the light spiral gradually fading about 4 minutes after it fully expanded.


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