Morning Edition: Strange Lights Seen In the Sky, Events, & More

Posted on 08/13/2025

What Was That Weird Light, That UFO, Seen Over Lebanon Last Night? 🚀

Social media was absolutely buzzing with reports of UFOs, strange lights, and rampant speculation about the mysterious S-shaped light that captivated everyone's attention.

But before you start preparing for an alien invasion, the most likely explanation for the peculiar spectacle is far more terrestrial: it was almost certainly a SpaceX rocket launch.

Yesterday morning around 8:35 a.m. Eastern, SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral in Florida carrying two dozen of Amazon’s Kuiper internet satellites into orbit. It was SpaceX’s 100th launch of 2025 and finally got off the ground after two weather delays over the weekend. What made this one special—and likely the cause of the strange S-shaped light seen over Lebanon—is that it used a Falcon Heavy center booster flying solo, which is a rare setup. After delivering its payload, the upper stage likely performed a fuel dump while spinning, which, combined with the sunrise lighting at high altitudes, created the glowing spiral everyone saw.

Why Could It Be Seen So Far Away in Missouri?

The reason this seemingly local event could be witnessed hundreds or even thousands of miles away in Lebanon, Missouri, lies in the sheer altitude the rocket reaches. While the launch site might be far off (often Florida or California for SpaceX), the rocket quickly ascends into the very upper layers of Earth's atmosphere, or even into space.

At these extreme heights (tens to hundreds of miles up), the Earth's curvature becomes less of a visual obstruction. The illuminated exhaust plume can then be seen "over the horizon" by observers far away, as it's high above any geographical barriers and still catching sunlight long after it has set at ground level.

The Science Behind the Sky Show

This captivating visual phenomenon, often dubbed a "SpaceX spiral" or "twilight phenomenon," occurs due to a unique interplay of rocket exhaust, atmospheric conditions, and sunlight. Here's how it happens:

Twilight Launch Window: For these stunning displays to occur, a rocket like a SpaceX Falcon 9 needs to launch during the "twilight" hours – either shortly before sunrise or just after sunset. This specific timing is crucial because, while it's dark on the ground, the rocket quickly ascends to altitudes where the sun's rays still illuminate the upper atmosphere.
Expanding Exhaust Plume: As the rocket climbs through the Earth's increasingly thin atmosphere, the exhaust gases and tiny ice particles it releases expand dramatically due to the lower atmospheric pressure. This creates a vast, diffuse cloud.
Sunlight Reflection: The key to its visibility is the reflection of sunlight. Even though the sun has set or hasn't risen for observers on the ground, the rocket's exhaust plume reaches altitudes high enough to catch the direct sunlight. This causes the cloud to glow brightly, contrasting sharply with the darkened sky below.
The "S" or Spiral Formation: The distinctive S-shape or spiral often forms during a fuel dump by the rocket's upper stage. After deploying its payload (like satellites), the rocket may vent any remaining propellant. If this stage is also spinning (a common maneuver for stability or de-orbiting), the expelled fuel and ice crystals are spread out in a rotating pattern, creating the mesmerizing spiral or S-shaped appearance that so many people witnessed and speculated about last night. The rapid expansion of the exhaust combined with this rotation is what gives it that dramatic, almost otherworldly, form.
Ice Crystal Glow: The water vapor in the rocket's exhaust instantly freezes into minuscule ice crystals in the frigid upper atmosphere. These ice crystals are highly effective at scattering and reflecting sunlight, enhancing the brightness and visibility of the plume, making it appear to "glow."

So, while it was certainly a bizarre and unforgettable sight, the "UFO" over Lebanon was a testament to the incredible power and atmospheric effects of modern rocketry!