Glowing blue spiral over Europe dazzles and perplexes. There’s an explanation familiar to SoCal
A large, bright blue spiral spotted over Europe on Monday night sparked chatter on social media about what might have caused the mysterious vortex.
Videos posted on X showed a blue orb in the night sky that was visible in the U.K., France and other countries.
In a post on X, AccuWeather said the mesmerizing blue spiral might have been caused by a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
The post quoted the U.K. Met Office in saying the spiral probably came about due to the rocket’s “frozen exhaust plume … spinning in the atmosphere and reflecting the sunlight, causing it to appear as a spiral in the sky.”
The flight, dubbed NROL-69, launched shortly before 2 p.m. from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, according to Space X’s website, where the launch can be seen on video.
A spokesman for SpaceX could not immediately be reached for comment.
A Falcon 9 previously caused a stir in Southern California with the light show it left in its wake.
The launch of SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base is seen over Huntington Beach at dusk on March 18, 2024.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Sci-fi fans might see a similarity with another blue vortex.
The spiral is reminiscent of the phenomenon in the 1980 film “The Final Countdown,” in which the USS Nimitz enters a blue vortex and travels through time to the day before the attack on Pearl Harbor. Of course, it’s Hollywood; no explanation is needed.
