An unusual light vortex was recently spotted in the skies over the Arctic. The bright glow was observed in several regions, including Iceland, Finland and Norway. It’s all about the SpaceX rocket, which delivered over 50 satellites into earth orbit.
The spectacular galaxy-like swirl was caused by a glowing cloud of frozen fuel left behind by a SpaceX rocket. Astronomers even gave this phenomenon a separate name – “SpaceX spiral.” It is expected that in the future people will observe such light vortices in the sky more often.
On March 4, SpaceX sent 53 satellites into space as part of the Transport-10 mission aboard a Falcon 9. All devices were successfully launched into earth orbit two hours after launch. After the deployment of a batch of satellites, the second stage of the rocket separated and began deorbiting. It burned up in the Earth’s atmosphere over the Barents Sea. At this time, the ejected fuel began to transform into tiny crystals that reflected sunlight in a spiral.
The glow was captured during a live broadcast of the northern lights in Iceland. It has also been spotted in Finland and Norway. SpaceX is expected to launch the Transporter 12 mission in October 2024, so another spiral will appear over Iceland and other parts of the Arctic.