It was a dying rocket developed by Tesla CEO Elon Musk that was to blame for the bizarre blue spiral of light that appeared in the skies over New Zealand on Sunday, contrary to what some people thought that its source to be extraterrestrial.
Space X Rocket
Following a SpaceX launch on Sunday, New Zealander Clare Rehill noticed a bizarre blue spiral above her home, according to Space.com. On the South Island of New Zealand, she took pictures of the spiral in the sky above Queenstown. On Monday morning, she uploaded the image to Twitter and speculated that it has something to do with SpaceX.
And it is indeed caused by a SpaceX rocket. More specifically, the upper stage of the Falcon 9 produced the spiral. The rocket took off on Sunday at 12:27 a.m. from Florida's Cape Canaveral Space Force Station EDT, bringing into orbit a communications satellite for the Globalstar company.
Why Does the Rocket Create a Spiral Bizarre shape?
The upper stage of the Falcon 9 released remaining fuel as it dropped naturally into the Pacific Ocean, which is what caused the spiral that was seen in New Zealand.
"The upper stage was probably spinning on its longest axis to stabilize flight orientation, hence the spiral shape," Space.com reported (via Spaceweather.com). "Similar spirals have been seen after previous Falcon 9 launches."
Meanwhile, a report by the New York Post, citing the Facebook post by the New Plymouth Astronomical Society, said that a "fuel dump" or "exhaust plume" was theorized as the origin of the alien-like light phenomenon.
Other Instances When Rocket Launch Produce Patterns in the Sky
Other beautiful sky patterns have also been created by SpaceX launches. A "space jellyfish" appeared in the dawn sky over Florida's Space Coast on May 6 following a Falcon 9 launch of SpaceX Starlink internet satellites.
A separate Space.com report noted that the exhaust from the Falcon 9 and the timing of the launch come together to produce an effect known as a "space jellyfish."
SpaceX Conducts 3 Launches and 3 Landings in Just 3 Days
In a previous report, SpaceX has successfully completed three launches of Falcon 9 rockets and three landings in just three days. What's more amazing is that the missions were finished in less than 36 hours. This was the private spaceflight company's record for the fastest succession of launches.
The first-stage booster safely landed upright on a droneship that was waiting in the Atlantic Ocean. At 10:19 a.m. ET on June 18, the second mission officially began. Meanwhile, the launch of the Globalstar FM15 communications satellite to low-Earth orbit from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral in Florida on Sunday completed the three-header. The third launch is what caused the bizarre spiral shape in the sky that we have discussed earlier.