{"id":797751,"date":"2025-08-13T09:42:07","date_gmt":"2025-08-13T14:42:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/?p=797751"},"modified":"2025-08-13T09:42:07","modified_gmt":"2025-08-13T14:42:07","slug":"strange-spiral-in-the-night-sky-was-a-rocket-fuel-dump","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/?p=797751","title":{"rendered":"Strange spiral in the night sky was a rocket fuel dump"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\nView at EarthSky Community Photos. | Lorraine Boyd in Delmar, New York, spotted the strange spiral in the night sky on August 12, 2025. Lorraine wrote: \u201cMy husband was outside and saw a strange cloudiness in the clear night sky. It was dissipating by the time I went outside. Doing some research, I learned that it was more than likely a rocket fuel dump. The released fuel can freeze into ice crystals, and on a clear night with sunlight reflecting off the ice crystals, a spiral can be visible.\u201d Thanks, Lorraine! This rocket fuel dump was from launch into a polar orbit from South America earlier that night.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Strange spiral in the night sky has the internet abuzz<\/h3>\n
Stargazers outside looking for Perseid meteors last night were treated to an unusual sight. On Tuesday, August 12, 2025, many people in the northern and eastern parts of the United States reported seeing a strange spiral in the night sky. They described it as slowly moving and rotating. Even some aviation buffs and longtime amateur astronomers were stumped by what they were seeing.<\/p>\n
In this case, it was a fuel dump from a rocket. There were two rocket launches Tuesday. One was a ULA Vulcan from Florida and the other was Europe\u2019s Ariane 6 launch from French Guiana in South America. The ULA rocket went east, while the Ariane 6 headed north into a polar orbit. This polar path is the one that passed over the northern tier of the United States during its fuel dumping, surprising stargazers.<\/p>\nView at EarthSky Community Photos. | Steven Sanders in East Hanover, New Jersey, also captured the rocket fuel dump on August 12, 2025. Steven wrote: \u201cSomething moving very slow with white dot in the middle. The haze around it was moving. I\u2019ve never seen anything like it and I check the skies every night.\u201d Thank you, Steven!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Ariane 6 rocket launch<\/h3>\n
The Ariane 6 rocket was carrying a weather and climate satellite. It lifted off from Europe\u2019s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, at 8:37 p.m. EDT on August 12. The satellite was headed for a polar orbit. Satellites that perform earth-mapping tasks, such as weather satellites, use polar orbits in order to map the entire globe. These types of orbits require a bigger launch vehicle because the vehicle is not working with Earth\u2019s rotational velocity. This was only the third launch of the Ariane 6 heavy-lift rocket.<\/p>\n
Reports across the United States<\/h3>\n
Some of the locations that reported seeing the fuel dump include Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and New York. Places like Ontario in Canada also witnessed the unusual sight. <\/p>\n
Did you get a photo of the strange spiral? Submit it to us!<\/p>\nView at EarthSky Community Photos. | Tonya Gunther in Slatington, Pennsylvania, captured the rocket fuel dump on August 12, 2025. Tonya wrote: \u201cThis quiet, lit thing flew over us while we were in our pool looking for meteors.\u201d Thank you, Tonya!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Bottom line: On Tuesday, August 12, 2025, many people in the U.S. and Canada reported seeing a strange spiral in the night sky. It was a fuel dump from a rocket launched a couple hours earlier from South America.<\/p>\n
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Kelly Kizer Whitt<\/h4>\n
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About the Author:<\/h6>\n
Kelly Kizer Whitt – EarthSky\u2019s nature and travel vlogger on YouTube – writes and edits some of the most fascinating stories at EarthSky.org. She’s been writing about science, with a focus on astronomy, for decades. She began her career at Astronomy Magazine and made regular contributions to other outlets, including AstronomyToday and the Sierra Club. She has nine published books, including a children’s picture book, Solar System Forecast, and a young adult dystopian novel, A Different Sky.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
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