A spiral in the sky caused a buzz over Britain and much of Europe on Monday.
For some skywatchers, it looked briefly like it might be evidence of alien activity.
But it was only Elon Musk’s company SpaceX and a launch from an ocean away.
How cool is this…our @bbcweather Watchers have captured the @SpaceX spiral in the skies above the UK this evening after a rocket launch in the US…
*caused by illuminated frozen fuel expelled from the rocket second stage. pic.twitter.com/X7UTxGm81H
— Simon King (@SimonOKing) March 24, 2025
According to the BBC, a SpaceX rocket launch in Florida shortly before 2 p.m. ET was responsible for the show European viewers got to see in their evening hours.
Fuel ejected from the rocket appeared to be “spin[ning] in the atmosphere” while reflecting light from the sun, British national weather service the Met Office reported, according to the BBC.
And for some, it looked extraterrestrial.
“It did pass my mind, is this an unexplained, unidentified flying object?” one viewer told the British news agency.
It was also visible in other parts of Europe, where it might have looked like special effects from a science fiction thriller, but it was very real.
Incredible time-lapse.
Tonight, a glowing spiral appeared in the sky over the UK and Europe, likely caused by frozen fuel released from a SpaceX rocket’s second stage after launch. The pattern was visible for several minutes before fading.pic.twitter.com/jL7CXKmXCl
— Volcaholic (@volcaholic1) March 24, 2025
From Ukraine to Western Europe, including Russia, Germany, the UK, the Netherlands, France, Croatia, and Denmark, people have been sharing social media photos and videos of a striking blue (sometimes white) spiral in the sky. #Ukraine #WesternEurope #Russia #Spiral #Denmark pic.twitter.com/wJEQVdX9jc
— Europe Cognizant (@EuropeCognizant) March 24, 2025
Space Oddity: Last night, a glowing spiral lit up Europe’s sky, caused by SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket from the NROL-69 launch earlier in the evening. Frozen fuel from the 2nd stage reflected sunlight during deorbit, creating a stunning vortex. Timelapse of the event is spectacular! pic.twitter.com/rdU9lcxcZU
— John Cremeans (@JohnCremeansX) March 25, 2025
Like everything else he’s involved in, from the Tesla electric vehicle company he founded (which liberals now hate) to the Department of Government Efficiency he’s leading for President Donald Trump’s administration, when it comes to space programs, Musk has built a reputation as being revolutionary — and effective.
It was Musk’s SpaceX, remember, that managed to return NASA’s stranded astronauts to Earth after a months-long unplanned stay at the International Space Station.
Do you think Elon Musk and SpaceX will be able to get humanity to Mars?
He has even announced plans, according to Forbes, to send unmanned missions to Mars next year and to carry humans to the Red Planet by 2029 or 2031.
In July, The New York Times reported that Musk had told SpaceX employees he sees a human presence on Mars of as many as 1 million people in only two decades.
Monday’s sky show was just the most recent, and one of the most visible, signs of his impact on the world.
According to the BBC, SpaceX confirmed that it had launched a rocket as part of a mission from the National Reconnaissance Office, an agency of the U.S. Defense Department.
The purpose mission is classified, the BBC reported.
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