Space X spiral spotted across UK night skies as Brits baffled by ‘UFO’ swirls

An explanation has been given after people across Britain reported a strange glowing ‘spiral’ orb in the night sky – and it involves controversial Tesla billionaire Elon Musk

The cause of a mysterious ‘spiral’ which appeared in the night sky over Britain has been revealed.

Social media was inundated last night with posts about a strange circular light, which was seen above Greater Manchester, Derbyshire, Lancashire, Staffordshire and other parts of the country.

It is now believed to have originated from a rocket launch by SpaceX, the company run by billionaire Elon Musk. Witnesses said they saw a spinning cloud-like shape which slowly faded into the night sky, a visual phenomenon which was caused by the rocket released by leftover fuel . The Falcon 9 rocket launched at around 1.50pm local time in Florida, or around 5.50pm GMT, on a classified US government mission that has not been disclosed.

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On Monday evening, photographs and clips were shared online which showed the object ‘spinning’ in the sky. The phenomenon drew a surprised reaction from stargazers, prompting a flood of questions across social media platforms.

Some pondered whether they though it could be a UFO, while others said they thought the mystery item looked “beautiful”. One person from Stockport wrote: “Did anyone else just see this swirling thing in the sky? It was spinning round and then went off into the distance.”

Another resident, from Tameside, questioned: “Anyone seen the strange moving objects in the sky? 8pm. One bright thing with white misty rings round it. Moving slow for ages then completely disappeared.” One person from Wardle, in Rochdale, said: “A strange bright light with swirls and halo glow around it appeared over Wardle tonight at roughly 19:55.

“It firstly seems to come towards us and then moved away across the sky until out of sight. I thought it was a plane but it appeared too slow.”

A similar phenomenon occurred in 2023 when a spiral was spotted over parts of the United States. This had been caused by excess fuel being released from a SpaceX rocket that launched from California hours earlier. The spiral anomaly occurs when the rocket fuel freezes upon being released, and reflects the sunlight.

People living near the site had also been warned about loud disruptive noises ahead of the launch. In a statement ahead of the launch, SpaceX warned residents of the nearby counties of Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and Ventura that “sonic booms” might ring out after take-off.

The firm said: “There is the possibility that residents of and visitors to Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and Ventura counties may hear one or more sonic booms during the launch, but what residents experience will depend on weather and other conditions.”