Mysterious spiral in the Carinthian night sky: rocket start or more?

Mysterious spiral in the Carinthian night sky: rocket start or more?

Kärnten, Österreich - On March 24, 2025, the residents of Carinthia and other parts of Austria experienced an unusual spectacle in the sky: a light blue spiral was visible at night. Impressive photos of readers documented the fascinating sky phenomenon, which was both impressive and creepy for many. Don Hampton from the Geophysical Institute of the University of Alaska Fairbanks explained that the observed was definitely not a galaxy, but probably the result of a rocket start.

It is assumed that the spiral could have arisen by replacing excess fuel during the rocket start. When this fuel is burned, water vapor is created, which reflects the sunlight and thus forms a spiral cloud. Similar events have already been observed in Alaska and Hawaii, and the sightings in Austria occurred at the same time as the start of a Falcon 9 rocket from SpaceX, which carried out Cape Canaveral's NROL 69 mission in Florida at 1:48 p.m.

sightings in several regions

The light blue spiral was not only sighted in Carinthia, but also in Styria and Vienna. Media reports from Switzerland confirmed that the phenomenon also aroused interest there. Residents in the affected areas shared their impressions and worried about the mysterious appearance, which was particularly clearly visible on the clear spring nights.

The fascination for such sky phenomena is reinforced by the increasing rocket starts. The rocket industry has increased significantly in recent years, and the environmental impacts of rocket starts remain a complex and less researched topic. Raket engines reach high speeds through controlled explosions, while they burn several tons of fuel in a few seconds.

Environmental effects of the rocket starts

Frequent exhaust gases from rockets include water vapor, CO2 and soot. In particular, the Falcon 9 rocket used for the current start has remarkable emissions: it expects over 400 tons of CO2, 150 tons of water vapor and 30 tons of soot. In comparison, a Delta IV Heavy rocket produces almost no CO2 emissions, but here too, water vapor emissions are significant. The effects of these emissions on the climate are still largely unexplored.

With the increasing interest in space travel and the innovation in rocket development, the efforts to make more environmentally friendly technologies in the industry have increased. Reusable rockets could lead to a lower ecological footprint, but the entire manufacturing process and emissions must be taken into account in frequent missions.

The events of March 24, 2025 illustrate the connection between fascinating heavenly symptoms and the complex challenges of modern space travel. 5min.at and Wolfgang-Magazin provide important insights into these exciting and at the same time worrying area.