Northern Lights lovers were in for a surprise mixed with the usual green light in Alaskan skies, with a pale blue, galaxy-like spiral appearing for a few minutes early Saturday morning.
The light was simply the result of excess fuel released by a SpaceX rocket launched from California about three hours before the spiral appeared, the Associated Press (AP) reported.
“Sometimes rockets have fuel that needs to be disposed of,” explained space physicist Don Hampton, a professor and researcher at the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute.
A SpaceX spiral over Alaska from Earth to Sky Calculation on Vimeo.
“When they do that at high altitude, that fuel turns into ice. And if you’re in the sunlight, when you’re in the dark on the ground, you can see it as kind of a big cloud and sometimes as a whirlpool. ” she added.
While it’s not a common sight, Hampton said he’s seen such occurrences about three times.
The appearance of this spiral was captured on camera by the Geophysical Institute and widely shared.
“This spiral has created something of a stir on the Internet,” Hampton said.
Photographers capturing the famous Northern Lights have also posted their photos of the light blue spiral on social media.
THE ‘SPIRAL SPIRAL’ IS OVER #ALASKA: Sky watchers were shocked early Saturday morning when a giant blue spiral sailed across the #Aurora borealis. #SpaceX apparently created the phenomenon they captured on camera. https://t.co/IcDkOot3K6 has the unreal video.
Photo credit: Todd Salat. pic.twitter.com/RjhRsWwwE7
– WestportAstroSociety (@westportskyguys) April 16, 2023
The rocket that lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California late Friday was carrying around 25 satellites.
“The moment was ideal, they did a kind of fuel dump at that moment and that spectacular spiral came out of us,” he stressed.
Although it looked like a galaxy flying over Alaska, the expert says it was not.
“I can tell that it is not a galaxy. It’s just water vapor reflecting sunlight,” she concluded.
Source: TSF
