Imagine you are photographing the northern lights in Alaska. Suddenly, a strange light in the sky is replaced by a huge celestial spiral, shiny and translucent, more like something out of a sci-fi movie than anything else. So it was with Todd Salad, who witnessed this impressive structure being a product of SpaceX.
“When that luminous spiral approached me while it was growing rapidly, I thought, what the hell…?!” says photographer Todd Salat in his official site, where he also took the opportunity to post his images. For those seven minutes that the spiral was high in the sky, Lettuce took the opportunity to capture her in every possible way.. Now he offers us a unique perspective on a relatively contemporary event.
There is nothing to worry about here. This is not an alien invasion or a cosmic event endangering life on Earth. Researchers believe they have found the cause of these structures: SpaceX rockets.. This pattern, studied by scientists, is confirmed by images of Todd Salat, and it lies in the fact that just three hours before the observation, Elon Musk’s company launched a Falcon 9 from California.
Todd Salat’s shots are even more impactful because of the setting he’s in. Not only is the incredible spiral of crystals visible in the sky, it is complemented by the amazing northern lights and icy mountain backdrop. Definitely, worthy vision of the alien landscape.
“It’s definitely not a UFO… It’s just SpaceX”
These are the words of Chris Combs, an aerospace engineer and assistant professor at the University of Texas. Of course, while the Musk company was the cause of this particular spiral, they are not the only one who can cause such a phenomenon. “This concerns not only SpaceX, but also we’re starting to see them a lot more just because they’re released a lot more oftenthe engineer explains Washington Post.
Still There is no official way to describe this phenomenon.. Combs believes “we should already have one”. After all, although it was completely unknown before, as time goes on and as the space industry develops, it will become more common.
But, What creates such formations in the sky? Researchers and scientists have come to a conclusion. Its origin will be linked to excess propellant released during the SpaceX launch. Thus, steam or any other kind of gas could freeze at high altitude, forming ice crystals. They, reflecting sunlight from space, allow people at ground level to observe this phenomenon.
Why is it spiral? There is an even simpler explanation for this. During its ascent, the rocket rotated around its axis, thus spreading the aforementioned gases in a curious way. Carlos Martinis, an aerospace physicist at Boston University, relates this to “water coming out of a spinning sprinkler,” an analogy that perfectly describes what happened.
Source: Hiper Textual
