A bright spiral-shaped light was caught on camera in the night sky across New England and sparked speculation online, but was most likely tied to a rocket launch.
Witnesses said the light appeared in the night sky over Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island on Tuesday night and was visible for only a short time before disappearing.
Experts determined the light was likely tied to the launch of the Ariane 6 rocket in Kourou, French Guiana, at 4:02 p.m. Tuesday.
Emily Pike of WMTW-TV Maine’s Total Weather explained the rocket, which was carrying the Sentinel-1D Earth-observation satellite into orbit, apparently ejected excess fuel from its upper stage, which froze into reflective ice crystals that created the spiral-shaped pattern of light before dispersing.
The Sentinel-1D Earth observation satellite is designed to capture images of the planet during both day and night.
