A strange glowing white spiral believed to have been caused by a rocket was spotted in the night sky in Northumberland.

The spiral was reportedly visible in the UK and Europe for a few minutes on Monday evening, before fading.

Beadnell resident Katrina Porteous said: “It passed very slowly and silently over my head at 8pm. Extremely spooky.

“It began a few minutes before that as an extremely bright focused light in the WNW. As it passed immediately overhead it lost its intensity and became a strange, glowing cloud, then as it travelled ESE it took on the spiral form.”

Katrina Porteous' picture of the spiral taken in Beadnell, Northumberland.

placeholder image — Katrina Porteous' picture of the spiral taken in Beadnell, Northumberland.

According to the Met Office, the spiral in the sky was likely caused by the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The Falcon 9 rocket was launched at Florida's Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

The Met Office said: “The rocket's frozen exhaust plume appears to be spinning in the atmosphere and reflecting the sunlight, causing it to appear as a spiral in the sky.”

The Falcon 9 is a reusable rocket, manufactured by Elon Musk’s SpaceX.

After launching, the first part takes the payload, the object or equipment the rocket is carrying, into space.

This part of the rocket turns back around towards Earth, with the second stage of the rocket continuing to take the object to the correct orbit.

Once released, the second stage will eject any leftover fuel, which instantly freezes and forms into a spiral pattern because of the rocket's movement as it falls back to Earth.

Light reflects off the frozen fuel which makes it visible on Earth.

Did you see the spiral from Northumberland? Email your pictures to [email protected]