Pic of the Week: Mysterious Spiral Over Alaska

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): The northern lights and a spiral in the early morning sky over Fairbanks, Alaska. (Christopher Hayden, via Associated Press)

This week’s image was captured in the morning sky over Alaska on April 15. It was later determined to be related to a SpaceX Falcon 9 launch the prior day in California. As The New York Times reported, the spiral was attributed to “…the reflection of the excess fuel it released into the atmosphere.”

Below is another image taken by a local resident. The Internet is full of them.

While the northern lights are impressive enough, the addition of the spiral is extra special.

Image (Credit): Another image of the northern lights and a spiral over Fairbanks, Alaska. (Nick Marchuk/KTVF)