A mysterious spiral caught on camera above the northern lights in Alaska was likely the result of fuel being released from a SpaceX rocket, an expert said.
Elizabeth Withnall also posted photos of the strange sight she encountered while watching the lights from the northwestern part of the state.
Don Hampton, a research associate professor at the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute, told the Anchorage Daily News the spiral "appears to be rocket engine exhaust from a SpaceX Transporter-7 mission that launched on the Falcon 9 about three hours earlier in California."
"Water vapor in the exhaust from the second stage engine freezes and catches high-altitude sunlight, effectively glowing and creating this spiral galaxy of a display," Hampton said.
