The shapes may seem come out of anywhere: a cycle of European Ssing Skies or the wonderful heavenly crime hanging over the American coast.
These strange lighting shows are well -known missile properties for years. But as humanity rapidly increases the number of things supported to space, more people are involuntarily witnessing these phenomena.
“We are not accustomed to seeing the things that occur in space in this low density (atmosphere),” said Jonathan McDestan, a astronomical physicist and astronomy at the Harvard Smithson Center, referring to the Narvit atmosphere in the high height and the Earth’s cycle.
When one Fogute Spacex Falcon 9 He took off from Florida last week – as he flies to the northeast towards the Earth orbit to connect a spy satellite to the US military – he presented millions of people in the United Kingdom and the European continent. Soon after the release, social network users began reporting “strange forms” dancing in the sky.
The scene was “perhaps the result of the Spacex Falcon 9”, according to the publication of X -Shared, the British National Weather Service after the launch.
Viral images are similar to the phenomenon of “jellyfish” that follow Some Spacex versions in Florida and California. Visible from the United States, “jellyfish” features a huge light pathway in the form of stretching and stretching while flying missiles.
Despite their similarities, experts have stated that jellyfish and spiral phenomena are distinct.
A cosmic vortex lights the European sky! This amazing blue spiral, which was monitored last night, is actually Spacex Falcon 9 reflects sunlight – maturity and technology in complete harmony. What do you think? pic.twitter.com/mz2jmpojyo
UNTAD AWE 🧠(UNTAMEWE) March 26, 2025
Ghost
A vortex similar to the launch of the SpaceX military satellite on March 24 was formed after the missile was already delivered. The car was preparing to dive from orbit and return to the ground atmosphere, and heading towards a safe landing in the ocean – and leaving the fuel in its path.
Such maneuvers to ignore missile bodies are common after versions.
Falcon 9 is designed to be divided into two parts – or “stages”. The first stage is the bottom of the missile with nine engines that fire in take off, which enhances the car 70 meters from the ground. The first stage fan is also the same part in which Spacex routinely ran out after launch and re -use to save money.
However, the second stage, or the upper stage of the missile is designed to drive its own engine. The second stage gives the last power of the missile load – whether it is a satellite or an astronaut – at the speeds needed to obtain the orbit around the Earth. This usually exceeds 28,163 km per hour.
But after the orbit trip on March 24, the second stage of Spacex Falcon 9 was still on the fuel needed to unload. “Pouring the remaining fuel is basically a reserve for safety and is often (the second stage of missiles) of turmoil and returning to the ocean,” said Dr. Christopher Combs, President of the University associated with him at the College of Engineering and Integrated Design at the University of Texas at San Antonio.
Consequently, the upper stage of the Falcon 9 missile begins to rotate, throw fuel in space with continued action, creating a spiral shape that expands in the sky.
It is a phenomenon described by McDawell as “the effect of the garden hose” – remember when the hose is turned on the backyard and begins to press and curl during sneezing.
The growing jellyfish
Combs said that the phenomenon of the jellyfish, which is often monitored from the Americas after Spacex’s versions, is “a similar but actually different phenomenon.”
McDohal explained that this width is caused by the exhaust feather that is emitting from the first stage of the Falcon 9 missile while ascending, while the missile and its carrying are still heading to the orbit delivery point.
The shape of the jellyfish is the result of the missile exhaust feather and opens during its burning.
It seems completely different from how the exhaust appears near the ground: when the missile begins to fire from the launch platform, the discharge explodes on a narrow path. But when the car begins to combust the upper atmosphere, there is less air to escape collision – so it is not limited to the condensation path. Instead, you have this large bubble “that grows and expands, creating a jellyfish effect.
Ideal conditions
Both jellyfish and vortex require specific lighting conditions visible to human eyes. The observer should be in the dark while the missile is high, as it picks up sun reactions outside the horizon. “It tends to be early in the evening or dawn, not in the middle of the night,” when the phenomena appear, McDowell explained.
McDesteus pointed out that light shows can deceive our brains, which makes us believe that the missiles are closer to the ground than they are already.
“We are accustomed to seeing aircraft, unconsciously, when we see this thing in heaven, we believe that it is not higher than a plane,” said McDowell about the spiral phenomenon. Observers may believe that the missile “may be 16 or 32 km, in fact 320 km.”
The ability to see a missile -related light width can be difficult because it requires an accurate time and a little luck.
However, the number of publications increased rapidly – increased from a peak less than 150 a year in the twentieth century to more than 250 last year, according to statistics collected by McDwell.
Combs said he expected the audience to continue to be attracted to the strange lighting produced by the missiles. He said: “I love it when people care about space.” “I encourage people to continue to ask questions.”
