Odd Spiral Appears Amid Northern Lights in Alaska Night Sky

Odd Spiral Appears Amid Northern Lights in Alaska Night Sky
A light baby blue spiral resembling a galaxy appears amid the aurora for a few minutes in the Alaska skies near Fairbanks, on April 15, 2023. Christopher Hayden via AP
The Associated Press
Updated:
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ANCHORAGE, Alaska—Northern light enthusiasts got a surprise mixed in with the green bands of light dancing in the Alaska skies: A light baby blue spiral resembling a galaxy appeared amid the aurora for a few minutes.

The cause early Saturday morning was a little more mundane than an alien invasion or the appearance of a portal to the far reaches of the universe. It was simply excess fuel that had been released from a SpaceX rocket that launched from California about three hours before the spiral appeared.