Mysterious blue spirals of light appear in the night sky

A mysterious spiral of light appears in the night sky.
Disturbing images began to circulate on social media.
Is it aliens? Is there an explanation for this phenomenon?

DAZZLING AND EERIE SKY. A mysterious spiral of blue light appeared in the night sky and the disturbing images immediately began to circulate on social media, where many claim that it’s aliens visiting our planet.

As if it were a science fiction movie, around 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, a strange formation of bluish light stunned the residents of Stewart Island, New Zealand where this unusual phenomenon suddenly appeared.

Mysterious spiral of light appears in the night sky

Astonished people published images of the New Zealand night sky on social media where a huge fully illuminated spiral was unmistakeable. Of course, people immediately began to speculate.

«It happened around 7:28 pm, I saw it in the Motueka area (still) moving,“ a person who managed to see the blue spiral in the sky from the western coast of Tasman Bay southern New Zealand commented on social media.

Some say it’s aliens

The huge blue spiral in the sky caused a stir and people began to speculate trying to make sense of the strange phenomenon. “Aliens again,” commented a netizen on social media. «I like the idea that some aliens have opened a portal to send a report,» joked another.

«As soon as we walked out, it was very obvious what he meant,» stargazing guide Alasdair Burns told The Guardian. He received a message from a colleague to go look at the sky from his home on Stewart Island. “It looked like a huge spiral galaxy, just suspended in the sky, and slowly drifting. Quite a creepy feeling.»

“Quite a creepy feeling”

Burns went on to recount his bewildering experience: “We quickly banged on the doors of all our neighbours to get them out as well. And so there were about five of us, all out on our shared veranda looking up and just kind of, well, freaking out just a little bit.»

However, physicist and professor at the University of Auckland, Richard Easther, offered some reassurance to the public, saying that the phenomenon is «strange, but easy to explain». This often happens when a rocket attempts to place a satellite into orbit.

Logical explanation for the light spiral

Richard Easther explained that “When the propellant is ejected out the back, you have what’s essentially water and carbon dioxide – that briefly forms a cloud in space that’s illuminated by the sun.” And that is what could have happened this Sunday night.

«The geometry of the satellite’s orbit and also the way that we’re sitting relative to the sun – that combination of things was just right to produce these completely wacky looking clouds that were visible from the South Island,» he added. The New Plymouth Astronomical Society agrees that these effects were seen with SpaceX rocket launches.