Blue spiral over Europe dazzles and perplexes. There's an explanation - Los Angeles Times
The post quoted the U.K. Met Office in saying,the spiral probably came about due to the rocket’s “frozen exhaust plume... spinning in the atmosphere and reflecting the sunlight, causing it to appear as a spiral in the sky.”
The flight, dubbed NROL-69, launched shortly before 2 p.m. from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, according to Space X’s website, where the launch can be seen on video. A spokesman for SpaceX could not immediately be reached for comment.
A Falcon 9 has previously caused a stir in Southern California with the light show it left in its wake.
The launch of SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base is seen over Huntington Beach at dusk on March 18, 2024.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Sci-fi fans might see a similarity with another blue vortex.
The spiral is reminiscent of the phenomenon in the 1980 film “The Final Countdown,” in which the USS Nimitz enters a blue vortex and travels through time to the day before the attack on Pearl Harbor. Of course, it’s Hollywood, no explanation is needed.
Ruben Vives is a general assignment reporter for the Los Angeles Times. A native of Guatemala, he got his start in journalism by writing for The Times’ Homicide Report in 2007. He helped uncover the financial corruption in the city of Bell that led to criminal charges against eight city officials. The 2010 investigative series won the Pulitzer Prize for public service and other prestigious awards.
