LONDON, March 25, 2025: A mysterious glowing spiral that lit up the night sky across parts of England, Walesand even mainland Europe on Monday evening has been traced back to a SpaceX rocket launch in the United States.

The spiral formationvisible for several minutes before gradually fading, sparked intrigue and awe among stargazers. Experts now believe it was created by a Falcon 9 rocket launched from Florida as part of a classified U.S. government mission for the National Reconnaissance Office.

How Did the Spiral Form?

The Falcon 9developed by Elon Musk’s SpaceXis a reusable launch vehicle designed to carry payloads—such as satellites—into orbit. After releasing its payload, the rocket begins its return trajectory toward Earth.

As part of this return process, the rocket ejects any leftover fuelwhich freezes instantly at high altitudes. The rocket’s rotation and movement during descent cause the frozen fuel to form a spiral shape. When sunlight reflects off the frozen particlesthe spiral becomes briefly visible from Earth.

Sightings Across the UK and Europe

The striking phenomenon was widely photographed and shared on social media from various locations across England, Walesand parts of Europe.

Astronomer Allan Trowwho observed the spectacle from Wales's Brecon Beacons National Park at approximately 8:00 PM local time, said:

SpaceX confirmed via social media platform X (formerly Twitter) that the launch was indeed a classified National Reconnaissance Office missionsupported by a statement from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.

Not an Uncommon Phenomenon – But Still Rare

While glowing spirals caused by rocket launches have been recorded in the past, they remain rareespecially over European skies. Similar events have been spotted in locations such as Alaska, Hawaiiand Scandinaviaoften linked to rocket exhaust dispersing in the upper atmosphere.

These occurrences provide spectacular visual evidence of modern space activity and highlight the growing global visibility of commercial space missions like those undertaken by SpaceX.