Australia fell into the grip of a minor UFO frenzy after "a strange spiral" of light appeared over three eastern states early Saturday morning. Witnesses, many of whom recorded the event on their cameras, reported seeing the lights for two or three minutes and compared them to a "huge revolving moon" and a "lollipop-type swirl." Rumors of alien spacecraft flooded the media, but a practical explanation for the phenomenon was soon forthcoming: Astronomers in Australia and the U.S. said the lights were likely from SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket, which was launched from Cape Canaveral late on Friday night. "The path of the rocket over the Earth's surface... goes right over eastern Australia," says Phil Plait at Discovery Magazine. The "spiral pattern" is from "gas leaking out of the booster." Whatever, says Inspektor Paget at Buzzfeed. "I, for one, welcome our new spinny-aroundy overlords." Watch a video of the spooky spirals:
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Music reviews: Chance the Rapper, Cass McCombs, and Molly TuttleFeature "Star Line," "Interior Live Oak," and "So Long Little Miss Sunshine"
-
Film reviews: Eden and Honey Don't!Feature Seekers of a new utopia spiral into savagery and a queer private eye prowls a high-desert town
-
Critics' choice: Three chefs fulfilling their ambitionsFeature Kwame Onwuachi's grand second act, Travis Lett makes a comeback, and Jeff Watson's new Korean restaurant
