They saw a ghostly, light-blue swirl in the sky. Researchers say it was excess fuel expelled from a SpaceX rocket. That fuel turned into ice in the atmosphere and reflected light from the sun.
LEILA FADEL, HOST:
Good morning. I’m Leila Fadel. Stargazers in Alaska saw a rare sight while checking out the northern lights this weekend – a ghostly light-blue swirl in the sky. Researchers at the University of Alaska Fairbanks say it was excess fuel expelled from a SpaceX rocket that took off from California Friday night. That fuel turned into ice in the atmosphere and reflected light from the sun. So it wasn’t a wormhole to an alien galaxy, which is either a big disappointment or a big relief. It’s MORNING EDITION.
Copyright © 2023 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.