Did you see that wild glowing blue spiral in the night sky? People across Europe—from the UK to Ukraine—were freaking out and posting it all over social media. It hovered for a few minutes, then just vanished like some kind of cosmic portal. Naturally, theories exploded online—aliens, secret experiments, maybe a glitch in the Matrix? But nope, the truth is a little more down-to-earth… kind of. Turns out it was all thanks to a SpaceX rocket, doing its thing way up in the atmosphere and creating that icy spiral with leftover fuel—pretty mind-blowing, right? Animation is created by Bright Side.
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Check our Bright Side podcast on Spotify and leave a positive review! https://open.spotify.com/show/0hUkPxD34jRLrMrJux4VxV
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This video is made for entertainment purposes. We do not make any warranties about the completeness, safety and reliability. Any action you take upon the information in this video is strictly at your own risk, and we will not be liable for any damages or losses. It is the viewer's responsibility to use judgement, care and precaution if you plan to replicate.
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00:00On March 24th, European skies were dominated by a glowing, insane blue spiral.
00:07The eerie sight kept growing, expanding, almost like the whole Earth was about to get sucked into a vortex.
00:14And after a couple of minutes, poof, it suddenly disappeared.
00:19Even though it looked like some kind of extraterrestrial tech, there's actually a very human explanation behind it.
00:26Photos of this strange swirl started popping up all over Europe, with people sharing them from countries like the United Kingdom, France, Norway, and Germany.
00:36But if we really want to figure out what happened, we have to look all the way over to the United States.
00:44Turns out, on that same day, SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket was launched from Florida at around 1.50 in the afternoon local time.
00:52So, while most people in the U.S. saw clear skies after the launch, it actually caused that strange anomaly in the European skies.
01:01And that happened because Falcon 9 is a reusable rocket.
01:05So, after launching into space, it releases what is called its payload.
01:10And by that, I mean whatever it is carrying, like a satellite.
01:14After completing its mission, the rocket itself turns back toward Earth.
01:18As it does, it ejects any leftover fuel, which instantly freezes due to the high altitude, forming a spiral pattern because of the rocket's movement.
01:28Light then reflects off the frozen fuel, making it visible from Earth.
01:33Basically, that's what the blue spiral was, leftover fuel released by the rocket in space.
01:38So, should we be worried down here on the ground?
01:43I mean, is it dangerous?
01:44Well, no.
01:46It's not like it was some kind of spacecraft accident.
01:49It's just leftovers and light.
01:52And this is totally normal for the Falcon 9 rocket.
01:55Even though it went viral this time, the same phenomenon was spotted about four years ago.
02:00Back then, people speculated all kinds of things, like a swirling galaxy moving across the sky, or even an unidentified, unexplained flying object.
02:11But nah, it was just one of Elon Musk's space toys.
02:17Speaking of which, his space agency is also behind another eerie sighting that's becoming more common.
02:23On clear nights, many people have reported seeing a strange string of lights moving quickly in a straight line, almost like a train of stars.
02:33Those aren't drones, and they're definitely not perfectly organized shooting stars.
02:39These strange lights are actually Starlink satellites from SpaceX.
02:44You know, that project that beams high-speed internet from space using thousands of tiny satellites?
02:49Basically turning the entire planet into a giant Wi-Fi zone.
02:54But wait, satellites don't have lights on them.
02:57So how is it possible that they look so bright at night?
03:01Well, basically, what we're seeing is the sun reflecting off the satellites as they travel through their lowest orbit.
03:08And they're only visible if the sky isn't too bright.
03:12What's really impressive is that you can see this same event more than once on the same day.
03:17That's because Starlink satellites travel at a staggering speed of 300 miles per minute, and they complete one full orbit of Earth every 90 minutes.
03:27So, doing the math, that means you could spot those satellites within two hours of a previous sighting.
03:33Without a doubt, the beginning of the year was busy for sky watchers in the United States.
03:43In February, they got to see this stunning, cloudy jellyfish shape taking over the sky.
03:48What do you think it is?
03:49If you guessed another thing related to SpaceX, you're right.
03:54This is another art created by a Falcon 9 rocket.
03:58This time, it happened because the rocket was launched during the evening twilight.
04:02The light from the setting sun bounces off the rocket's smoke trail, creating this amazing effect.
04:10Now, let's move on to Italy, where another creepy event occurred.
04:15It was a stormy night, and suddenly, way up in the sky, a giant glowing red ring flashed for just a split second.
04:25Nope, it was not an extraterrestrial portal.
04:28This is something called an elf.
04:30This happens when a powerful lightning strike sends out an electromagnetic pulse that hits the ionosphere,
04:37which is a super high-up layer of our atmosphere.
04:41When this happens, nitrogen atoms up there get excited and glow red,
04:46creating a massive but super quick light show.
04:51Another red phenomenon happened in Scandinavia,
04:54but instead of a ring, it was more like a streak of light.
04:58This is known as a stable auroral red arc, or SAR.
05:04Despite the name, it's not an aurora.
05:06It's something much rarer.
05:09This phenomenon happens when the Earth's magnetic field,
05:12which acts like a big protective shield, gets disturbed.
05:16This disturbance causes some gas in the atmosphere to get super hot,
05:20thanks to a huge electrical current around the planet.
05:22What's weird is that only oxygen gets heated up during a SAR,
05:27which is why these light shows always glow that same red color.
05:33And fun fact, this event is more likely to happen after a big solar storm weakens Earth's magnetic field.
05:39It is impressive to see phenomena like this with the naked eye,
05:44but the view from outside Earth can be just as stunning.
05:49In 2022, an astronaut aboard the International Space Station
05:52spotted two bizarre blue blobs of light glimmering in our planet's atmosphere.
05:58They happened at the same time, but they weren't related at all.
06:03One of them was a massive lightning strike that hit right next to a large, circular gap in the clouds.
06:09The lightning lit up the surrounding cloud walls, creating a glowing ring around the hole.
06:15Another one was caused by the Moon.
06:18The way the Moon was positioned made the sunlight it reflected pass through Earth's atmosphere,
06:23creating a bright blue blob with a fuzzy ring around it.
06:27And if you're wondering what that weird orange halo is,
06:32running parallel to the curvature of the Earth, I've got you.
06:35That's the edge of the atmosphere, also known as Earth's limb.
06:40And this is what it looks like when viewed from the International Space Station.
06:45In Canada, residents of central Alberta were looking up at the sky one night,
06:51when they suddenly saw something strange.
06:53A bunch of vertical beams of light that seemed to be coming from the ground
06:58and reaching up into the blackness of space.
07:01It sure looked like something out of a science fiction movie,
07:05but this is actually just an optical illusion.
07:08Yep, it's a visual trick, caused by some specific winter conditions.
07:12This phenomenon happens when light is refracted by ice crystals.
07:17Here's what's going on.
07:19When it's freezing outside, tiny ice crystals form in the air.
07:23These crystals are super thin and flat,
07:26so each one acts like a tiny mirror that reflects light sources positioned below it.
07:30Basically, the crystals reflect the light straight up,
07:35creating those glowing vertical beams.
07:38And it can be caused by any light source, like the sun or the moon.
07:42But in most cases, the sources of these light pillars is man-made,
07:46like car headlights or streetlights.
07:49Even though the phenomenon is completely natural,
07:53it rarely happens, and only in very specific situations.
07:57First, it has to be freezing cold.
08:00On that particular day in central Alberta, for example,
08:03the temperature was around minus 30 degrees Fahrenheit.
08:07Then, the weather has to be calm, with no wind at all.
08:11If a storm breaks out, forget it.
08:13You won't be able to see the light pillars.
08:15And don't mix them up with auroras, okay?
08:18Auroras are mostly seen in high-latitude regions,
08:22like around the Arctic and Antarctic.
08:24Since they happen way up in the atmosphere,
08:27they're visible over large areas.
08:29Light pillars, on the other hand,
08:30are more localized and concentrated in a much smaller area.
08:35But hey, no matter which one you spot,
08:37if you're lucky enough to see one of these amazing sights in the sky,
08:41you're in for a show you won't forget.
08:45That's it for today.
08:48So hey, if you pacified your curiosity,
08:50then give the video a like and share it with your friends.
08:53Or if you want more, just click on these videos
08:55and stay on the bright side!