A spiral formation similar to a “mini” galaxy appeared in her night sky Alaska in the early hours of Saturday.

Fans of night observations, fixing the northern lights, were surprised to see a strange celestial formation.

A brilliant blue spiral, created by sunlight reflecting off ejected propellant from the upper stage of a SpaceX booster earlier from Vandenberg, adorned the aurora-drenched sky over Alaska. Read more at #ural https://t.co/3V2ZiJbdBb pic.twitter.com/cimTl2A5as

— Tony Rice (@rtphokie) April 16, 2023

Despite the unusual shape, the origin of this blue spiral is not at all mysterious. This is the result excess propellant fired from a SpaceX rocket which was launched from California about three hours ago.

As space physicist Don Hampton, assistant professor at the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute, explains, sometimes rockets have fuel that needs to be jettisoned.

A whitish-blue spiral that appeared in the skies over Alaska today has raised questions, speculation and a simple explanation.
“I must admit, it was a shame to think of it as an exhaust,” said Todd Salat, who photographed the whirlpool near the Delta junction. https://t.co/iddCw79Xbq pic.twitter.com/8UegT2Q4EC

— Anchorage Daily News (@adndotcom) April 16, 2023

“When this process takes place at high altitude, this fuel turns to ice. And if it is exposed to the sun when it is dark on Earth, it becomes visible. like a big cloud, often swirling“, he notes.

The SpaceX rocket lifted off from the Vandenberg Space Base in California on Friday evening, carrying about 25 satellites.

Although an unusual sight, it is not uncommon. Last January, a similar spiral was captured by the Hawaiian Observatory’s camera atop Mauna Kea. At the time, scientists explained that the celestial phenomenon was caused by the launch of a military GPS satellite launched by a SpaceX rocket.

Source: Guardian