A stunning blue light likely caused by SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket fuel illuminated the night skies over Europe on Monday.

Rocket launches can create eerie patterns in the sky, from undulating bright-blue spirals to glowing “jellyfish” blobs. Here’s why they happen and how to spot them.

Close-up view of the spiral. This strange phenomenon was caused by a SpaceX rocket launch. Bettina Begtoft "I noticed it at 2:02 a.m. local time," Begtoft told spaceweather.com.

A spiral of light illuminating the night sky captivated observers in Britain and much of Europe on Monday. Its cause: a SpaceX rocket, experts said, after the glowing spectacle ignited widespread ...

While in flight, the fins will help to naturally guide the rocket's trajectory back towards its original flight path and counteract external forces (like wind) that might push it in another direction.

A large glowing spiral visible in the night sky on Monday is believed to have been caused by a SpaceX rocket launch in the US.

A large swirl of white light that temporarily outshone vibrant auroras in the Arctic last week was triggered by the death throes of a SpaceX rocket that deployed more than 50 satellites into space.

Rocket launches can create eerie patterns in the sky, from undulating bright-blue spirals to glowing “jellyfish” blobs. Here’s why they happen and how to spot them.

As you might have guessed, fins are used on rockets in order to keep them stable while in flight. At least in the case of model rockets and military ordinance.