The vibrant swirl, which has now been debunked, was photographed in the UK and was also seen in parts of Europe
A glowing orb spotted in UK skies has been “explained” after locals were left “freaked out” by the mystery UFO. Brits reported seeing the unusual object flying overhead near their homes on Monday evening.
Residents from Greater Manchester, Derbyshire, Lancashire, Staffordshire and other areas took to social media to share their sightings of the unusual circular glow darting through the night sky above them.
Numerous photos and videos were shared online capturing the strange spectacle which showed the ‘UFO’ appearing to spin.
The phenomenon sparked a flurry of questions across social media platforms, with one post asking: “Has anyone else just seen this over Radcliffe in the sky because me and the kids are freaked out”.
Internet users were quick to offer their theories on what the mysterious objects could be. Some suggested it might be the International Space Station, while others speculated they could be lanterns floating in the sky.
The perplexing phenomenon is now believed to have been debunked – as connected to the recent SpaceX spy satellite launch in the United States, according to the BBC. This stands as the most plausible explanation so far.
The incident is understood to have been caused by the ejection of fuel from the rocked launched by Elon Musk’s space company. The cloud-like shape was visible for several minutes before fading.
The Falcon 9 rocket, a reusable rocket, took off around 1.50pm local time in Florida (5.50pm GMT) on a classified US government mission.
The Falcon 9 releases payload after it launches – whatever it is carrying, such as a satellite, to complete its mission – which continues its journey into space. The rocket then turns back around towards Earth.
As it does, it ejects any leftover fuel, which immediately freezes due to the altitude in a spiral pattern caused by the rocket’s movement. Light is then reflected off the frozen fuel, making it visible on Earth.
SpaceX said on X the launch was carried out on behalf of the US government National Reconnaissance Office mission. The Kennedy Space Center also said on X the launch was a classified mission for that office.
The phenomenon had drawn curious glances from confused stargazers, with some saying they thought the mystery object looked quite “beautiful”.
The glowing orb isn’t the first appearance of its kind in recent times. Americans observed an similar pattern last year, which was clarified as residual fuel from a SpaceX rocket launched from California.
Elsewhere, two NASA astronauts stuck in space for the past nine months have finally returned to Earth. Butch Wilmore, 62, and Suni Williams, 59, landed off the Florida coast just before 10pm on Tuesday, March 18.
NASA praised Donald Trump for helping the pair home, despite the huge delay and repeated snags. It said the mission was only possible with Trump’s “direction” and said it had been completed one month before schedule.