Enthusiasts of the famous northern lights were greeted with a pleasant surprise that came in the form of spiraling green bands dancing through the aurora-filled night sky.
Strange Spiral Appears Amid Auroras
A white-ish blue spiral that appeared in the sky over Alaska today drew questions, speculation — and a simple explanation.
— Anchorage Daily News (@adndotcom) April 16, 2023
"It was kind of a shame to think of it as exhaust, I have to admit,” said Todd Salat, who photographed the swirl near Delta Junction. https://t.co/iddCw79Xbq pic.twitter.com/8UegT2Q4EC
According to Science Alert, the night sky view of glowing auroras is a common scenery in the freezing northern area. Some enthusiasts and photographers, such as Todd Salat, patiently wait for their appearance in the chilly night.
Interestingly, early Saturday morning in Delta Junction, Salat was able to catch a glimpse of a distinct meteorological phenomenon that was not like anything he had seen before. US News reports that against the incredible green auroras filling the night sky was a blue spiral that stemmed from a bright light. The strange spiral became bigger as it moved through the night sky.
He was able to capture the incredible meteorological view. Thanks to that, the world can get a glimpse of this strange spiral.
A SpaceX Spiral over Alaska from Earth to Sky Calculus on Vimeo.
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What Caused This Odd Glowing Spiral To Fill the Night Sky?
Science Alert adds that, though this may have appeared unusual to residents of Alaska, it is not the first time for skywatchers to witness glowing spirals. The explanation is also quite straightforward and simple.
Toronto City News reports that the light resulted from excess fuel from a SpaceX rocket. This rocket was deployed from California just three hours before the strange spiral's appearance.
More specifically, it was a Falcon 9 craft holding dozens of satellites. It was launched as part of the Transporter-7 space mission.
Just minutes after the Falcon 9's deployment, the first-stage craft gently landed on the surface. This makes it available to be used again in upcoming missions.
However, the upper stage of the Falcon 9 kept orbiting until it reached its goal and finished its mission. Then, it descended back to the planet in a spiral that was tumbling.
With the rocket's excess fuel released into the upper atmosphere, the gasses' water vapor would have solidified to form tiny crystals that reflect light.
Don Hampton, a space physicist and research associate professor from the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute, notes that rockets have fuel that requires jettisoning at times. When this is done at high altitudes, the fuel solidifies and becomes ice. If this takes place in sunlight and when darkness fills the earth's surface, it can be viewed as a huge cloud that is periodically swirly.
Hampton notes that, though this is not quite a common sight, he was able to see these meteorological occurrences three times. He assures that the meteorological phenomenon was not a galaxy looming over Alaska but that it was merely water vapor that reflected sunlight.
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