Mysterious glowing spiral observed in skies above Hertfordshire
Astronomers at the University of Hertfordshire’s Bayfordbury Observatory captured rare footage of the phenomenon, likely caused by a SpaceX rocket launch
Last updated 25th Mar 2025
A large glowing spiral appeared in the night sky on Monday, believed to be the result of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch from Florida. The phenomenon was visible across the UK and Europe for several minutes before fading.
The spiral is thought to have formed from frozen fuel ejected by the rocket’s exhaust, which reflected sunlight as it spun in the upper atmosphere. The Falcon 9 launched on a classified US government mission and, as it returned to Earth, the release of leftover fuel likely created the unusual shape.
Astronomers at the University of Hertfordshire’s Bayfordbury Observatory witnessed the event. Lord Dover, a Senior Technical Officer at the observatory, explained: “Last night, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched from Florida carrying a classified payload. This rocket, which is fully reusable, dumped fuel in the upper atmosphere to shed weight before returning to Earth.
“This fuel formed an expanding, swirling cloud that developed into a giant spiral shape as it travelled over the Atlantic. At approximately 19:52, it became visible in the skies over the UK and moved across the sky for just over 10 minutes before dipping below the horizon.
“These sightings are becoming common in some parts of the world, but it’s still unusual for rocket launches to be visible like this from the UK.”
Vaishnav Nhalikkarammal, a final-year undergraduate student in Astrophysics at the University of Hertfordshire and an Outreach Ambassador at Bayfordbury Observatory, captured photos of the phenomenon. “At first, I thought it was a plane so I checked Flightradar, but there were no planes flying over,” he said.
“The next thing that came to my mind was a spy drone, flying at high altitudes, and I thought the spiral might be due to the drone movement and the light glowing from it.
“We later figured out it was likely a SpaceX rocket after double-checking the videos from our cameras at the Bayfordbury Observatory.
“It’s one of the best things I have ever seen in my life!”
The University of Hertfordshire has shared images and videos of the sighting, taken by Nhalikkarammal and recorded by the Bayfordbury Observatory’s monitoring cameras. The observatory, one of the best-equipped in the UK, is used for teaching, research, and outreach work in astrophysics.