A huge glowing spiral in the skies on Monday night left people across the United Kindom awestruck. The mysterious orb looked like a spinning UFO and the unusual object was seen in Greater Manchester, Derbyshire, Lancashire, Staffordshire, and in some places in Europe. People were stumped to see the strange phenomenon and took to social media to ask others what they thought it was.

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Reports suggest that the glowing orb was linked to a SpaceX rocket launch in the United States that sent a spy satellite into orbit. The structure is believed to have formed from the leftover fuel released by the rocket in space.

Glowing spiral from SpaceX rocket?

SpaceX's Falcon 9 sent the satellite as part of a classified US government mission at around 13:50 local time in Florida. The reusable rocket returns to Earth after releasing its payload, the satellite in this case. As the rocket turns back, any leftover fuel is ejected into the skies.

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This fuel freezes instantly because of the altitude and looks like a spiral because the rocket is moving. When light is reflected off it, the spiral becomes visible on Earth.

People reported seeing the glowing orb and small twinkling star-like things around it. People posted photos and videos of the object and speculated what it might be. A person in Denton posted a photo, and asked, "Anyone seen the strange moving objects in the sky? 8 pm. One bright thing with white misty rings around it. Moving slow for ages then completely disappeared."

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The last time such an object was seen in the skies was in 2023. It happened after a SpaceX rocket took off from California, and the pattern was revealed to be excess fuel ejected by the rocket.

"Unusual object" seen in Ireland

People in the UK have been in for such treats for over a week now. While the glowing spiral has an explanation, what residents of Ireland saw last week remains a mystery. Flashing lights were seen for two consecutive days over Dublin's night sky.

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Only a single light was seen flashing off the south coast of Dublin on Tuesday, and the next day two of them appeared side by side.

Social media users discussed what the lights could be, and most of them didn't think the lights had anything to do with alien activity. Some of them thought the lights were from the International Space Station, while others thought they were merely lanterns.