On social media, many viewers were stunned after witnessing a mysterious ‘Dr. Strange’-style spiral appear in the sky.
A strange spiral appeared in the skies over the southwest Pacific, baffling residents.
The unusual sight was quickly likened to the portal seen in the Doctor Strange movie.
However, astronomers have now identified the cause behind the phenomenon: a rocket launch.
A mysterious ‘Dr. Strange’-style spiral appeared in the sky
Footage shared on social media shows the spiral rapidly expanding in size before disappearing into the night sky.
On June 18th, around 6 PM, the Caledonian Astronomical Association posted on Facebook about the strange spiral seen in New Caledonia and Vanuatu.
Several witnesses in Yate, Thio, La Tontouta, and Vanuatu reported seeing the phenomenon.
“We don’t have an explanation, but we’re not experts in this type of phenomenon,” the association commented.
Social media reaction
In the comment section, many viewers expressed their confusion over the mysterious ‘Dr. Strange’-style spiral that appeared in the sky.
This mysterious spiral sparked dark theories about aliens, with some suggesting it could be a smoke trail left behind by alien ships.
However, others believed it could be the smoke from a rocket or plant in the sky.
One person said: Moon hologram is buffering.
A second wrote: Google “rocket at night” looks very cool like but it is a rocket
While a third commented: Well, it’s a rocket spun out of control, the gases from the exhaust causing the spiral
Another added: When an Alien gets drunk and hops in a spaceship
Someone else joked: Who would want to go from flying military aircraft to being a glorified bus driver early, wait fir retirement.
The spiral was caused by fuel released by China’s Long March rocket
Astronomer Jonathan McDowell confirmed the spiral was caused by fuel released by China’s Long March 2C rocket.
The rocket launched on the same day, sending three new satellites into orbit.
McDowell explained that the spiral occurs when the rocket tumbles end over end while venting its fuel.
McDowell told Daily Mail: ‘Given the time it happened, I look to see if there was a rocket launch at that time. Indeed there was – the only space launch that day took off from China just 15 minutes or so earlier.’
‘We know the orbit of that rocket because the US space force tracked it once it reached orbit.”
In space, there is no air to distort the shape, which results in a perfect spiral.
The spiral phenomenon was previously observed
This was not the first time the phenomenon had been observed.
A similar spiral appeared on May 7, caused by the same Chinese rocket launch.
Both incidents occurred hours after the Long March 2C rocket launched from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center.
Additionally, the spiral was visible to residents across various Pacific islands, including New Caledonia, Tokelau, Samoa, and Fiji.
People from New Caledonia and Vanuatu shared sightings on social media, asking for an explanation of the unusual event.
Previously, the Norway event was caused by a failed Russian missile test, which created a blue swirling light and spiral in the sky.
Onlookers in Norway described the sight as a “shooting star that spun around and around,” similar to the Pacific spiral.
McDowell solves the mystery using rocket trajectory data
McDowell used data from the US Space Force to track the rocket’s orbit and pinpoint its trajectory.
He confirmed that the rocket passed directly over the areas where the spiral was seen, matching the timing of the sightings.
By using orbit math, McDowell was able to conclusively link the spiral to the Yaogan-30 satellite launch.
The mysterious spiral in the sky over the Pacific was not an alien portal, but the result of a rocket launch.
As space exploration continues to grow, these unusual phenomena may become more common, leaving residents and astronomers alike intrigued.