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Did You See that Strange Spiral in the Night Sky? It Wasn’t a UFO
The spiral light was caused by a routine fuel dump from the Ariane 6 rocket during its third launch, visible due to its polar orbit path over North America, experts said.
- On Tuesday, August 12, 2025, many in the northern and eastern United States reported a strange spiral in the night sky during the Perseid meteor shower.
- The European Space Agency confirmed a weather satellite launch from Kourou, French Guiana, at 9:37 p.m. local time Tuesday, with a fuel dump creating a luminous spiral.
- According to astrophysicist Robert Lamontagne, the rocket’s orbit made the phenomenon visible in Quebec, with a spinup and propellant dump at about 0245 UTC creating the luminous spiral across the eastern US and Canada.
- A Canadian Space Agency spokesperson confirmed, 'many observers captured video,' and Astrolab clarified it was likely an Ariane 6 rocket fuel dump, not a UFO.
- This mission represented the third launch of the Ariane 6 heavy-lift rocket, passing over the northern United States in polar orbit to deploy a weather satellite for climate monitoring.
15 Articles
15 Articles
Mystery sky sighting could be dumped rocket fuel
JEFFERSON COUNTY, Mo. - Stargazers were looking up Tuesday night hoping to see the Perseid meteor shower. Many of them saw something unexpected. “I thought it was aliens,” said Ashley Robison, a De Soto resident. “It wasn’t the moon, and it was swirling.” Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily News SIGN UP NOW Multiple sightings of …
Was it a plane? Was it a UFO? Bright light over Quebec captivates stargazers
A 'magnificent and luminous spiral' streaking across the sky over Quebec on Tuesday night was thought by many to be an unidentified flying object. Turns out it was part of a spacecraft — just not an alien spacecraft.
The amateurs of astronomy were given an unusual show on Tuesday night. Thousands of Quebecers who searched the sky to see Perseids, the shooting stars of the month of August, were given a "magnificent and strange spiral light", according to the words of the observatory of Mont-Mégantic.
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