Mysterious lights after space launches intrigue skies observing

The shapes may seem to come out of nowhere: a undulating spiral in the form of S crossing European skies or a brilliant orb hanging over the American coast.

These strange light shows are known characteristics of rocket launches for years. But as humanity rapidly increases the number of objects propelled to space, more people are involuntarily witnessing these phenomena.

“We are not used to seeing things that happen in space in these very low (atmospheric) densities,” said Jonathan McDowell, astrophysicist and astronomer of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center of Astrophysics, referring to the rarefilled atmosphere that exists at high altitudes and the orbit of the earth.

When a Spacex Falcon 9 rocket took off from Florida last week – flying to the northeast towards the land orbit to deliver a spy satellite to the US Army – it provided a show for millions of people in the UK and the European continent. Shortly after release, social networking users began reporting “strange forms” dancing in the sky.

The scene was “probably caused by the Spacex Falcon 9 rocket,” according to an X -shared publication, British National Meteorological Service after the launch.

Viral images resembled the phenomenon of “jellyfish” that has been following some Spacex releases in Florida and California. Visible from the US back, the “jellyfish” is marked by a huge tear-shaped light trail that grows and extends as the rocket flies.

Despite their similarities, however, experts have stated that jellyfish and spiral phenomena are distinct.

Cosmic Swirl Lights Up The European Sky! This Stunning Blue Spiral, Spotted Last Night, is currently a Spacex Falcon 9 Fuel Dump Reflecting Sunlight – Nature and Technology in Perfect Harmony. What Do You Think? pic.twitter.com/mz2jmpojyo

– Untamed Awe (@Untamedawe) March 26, 2025

A ghostly spiral

The spiral-like spiral that followed the launch of the Spacex military satellite on March 24 formed after the rocket had already delivered. The vehicle was preparing to dive out of the orbit and back to the earthly atmosphere, spinning toward a safe landing in the ocean – and leaving fuel in its trail.

Such maneuvers to discard rocket bodies are common after releases.

Falcon 9 is designed to be divided into two parts – or “stages.” The first stage is the bottom of the rocket with nine engines that fire in takeoff, boosting the vehicle 70 meters from the ground. The propeller of the first stage is also the same part as Spacex routinely guides landing after launch and reuses to save money.

The second stage, or upper stage of the rocket, however, is designed to drive its own engine. The second stage gives the last power impulse that carries the rocket load – whether a satellite or an astronaut capsule – at the speeds needed to get orbit around the earth. This is typically over 28,163 kilometers per hour.

But after the orbit trip on March 24, the second stage of Spacex Falcon 9 was still on board fuel that needed to discharge. “Pouring the remaining fuel is basically a precaution of safety and often prepares (the second stage of rocket) for disorder and return to the ocean,” said Dr. Christopher Combs, associated Rector of Research at the Klesse College of Engineering and Integrated Design at the University of Texas in San Antonio.

Thus, the upper stage of the Falcon 9 rocket begins to rotate, throwing its fuel into space as it continues to move, creating the spiral form that expands in the sky.

It is a phenomenon that McDowell has described as a “garden hose effect” – remembering when a hose in the backyard is turned on and starts to squirm and curl while sneezing water.

Growing jellyfish

The jellyfish phenomenon that is often spotted from the Americas after Spacex releases is “a similar but actually different phenomenon,” said Combs.

This show is caused by an exhaust feather emanating from the first stage of Falcon 9 rocket during its rise, while the rocket and its load are still heading to its orbit delivery point, McDowell explained.

The jellyfish shape is the result of the rocket exhaust feather growing and opening as it burns.

It seems very different from how the exhaust appears closer to the ground: when the rocket begins to fire from a launch platform, the discharge explodes on a narrow trail. But when the vehicle begins to burn in the upper atmosphere, there is less air for the escape to collide – so it does not remain confined to a condensation trail. Instead, “you have this big bubble,” which grows and expands, creating the jellyfish effect, McDowell said.

The perfect conditions

Both jellyfish and spiral require specific lighting conditions to be visible to human eyes. The observer must be in the darkness while the rocket is high, capturing reflexes of the sun beyond the horizon. “It tends to be early in the evening or dawn, not in the middle of the night,” when phenomena appear, McDowell explained.

And, McDowell noted, light shows can fool our brains, making us think the rockets are closer to the ground than they really are.

“We are so used to seeing planes that, subconsciously, when we see this thing in heaven, we think it is not much higher than a plane,” McDowell said about the spiral phenomenon. Observers may think that the rocket is “perhaps 16 or 32 kilometers high, when in fact 320 kilometers.”

How to see the shine of a rocket

Being able to see a rocket -related light show can be difficult as it requires precise time and a little luck.

But the number of releases has increased rapidly – rising from a peak of less than 150 per year in the twentieth century to over 250 last year, according to statistics compiled by McDowell.

And Combs said he expects the audience to continue being attracted to the strange light shows that rockets produce. “I love it when people are interested in space,” he said. “I encourage people to continue asking questions.”

This content was originally published in mysterious lights after space launches intrigue skies on the CNN Brazil website.

Source: CNN Brasil