Spiral of light amazes many – and scares a few

Richard Madden
BBC News
Simon Spark/BBC A spiral light set against a dark night sky framed by the eaves of two bright houses.Simon Spark/BBC
Emma Worship An image of a dark night sky with a bright white spiral in the centre. A brick house is on the left of the image and the sillhouette of a tree is on the right.Emma Worship

The spiral light appeared in skies across Yorkshire and Lincolnshire on Monday
People described how the light moved before it faded away

Aliens, black holes and far-off galaxies were some of the suggested explanations for a spectacular spiral light which appeared in the skies over Yorkshire and Lincolnshire on Monday.

The phenomenon is thought to have been caused by a Space X rocket which launched in the US on Monday.

Mike Simpson was walking with his wife in Kirk Ella, near Hull, when he spotted the light.

"At first I wasn't sure what it was. It started as a light and then dispersed and moved slowly. It was pretty cool," he said.

Other reactions to the unusual glow ranged from "scared" to "amazed" and "incredible".

Keith Bolton said he noticed the spiral as he was driving home to Barton upon Humber.

"I saw it just above the Humber Bridge – I was baffled," he said.

Some described how the spiral appeared to move. Jared Sharp, from Hull, said it "began as a small light which seemed to be looking around" before changing shape and disappearing.

Space X rocket-fuel dump creates intrigue in night sky

The spiral was viewed across the UK and people shared their pictures and footage with the BBC.

VJ Hammond said the view from Bridlington had been "amazing to watch", while Andrew Ketley said it was "utterly bizarre" watching it unfold from his garden.

But Mat Billany, from Hull, was not so thrilled by the experience, saying that it "scared me as I was taking the bins out".

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