People in Irlam and surrounding areas of Salford spotted a SpaceX fuel dump across the city’s night sky.
On Monday March 24, residents in Irlam noticed a glowing, spinning light in the sky. Ashley Davies said: “I noticed it at around 8.15pm, I was putting the rubbish in the bins when I first saw it in the sky.”
Those who witnessed the strange light also noted a ‘vapour’ surrounding it, with the light emitting blue and white hues across the sky.
The ‘spinning light’ is now confirmed to be the fuel dump from SpaceX’s launch of the Falcon 9 rocket, which took place in Florida just hours before the fuel was spotted over Salford. The rocket uses the fuel initially to gain momentum during lift off.
Ashley, who owns Ink Candy Tattoo Studio in Irlam, said: “My husband is a bit of a sceptic, initially he thought it was a UFO because of the spiral effect and the speed.
“It’s not something you typically see in Irlam, What’s more interesting is how far it’s travelled, and yet we still got to see it here – very cool.”
The rocket was launched from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Brevard County, Florida. The Falcon 9 is currently operated by Elon Musk’s SpaceX and is one of 34 launches that have taken place so far in 2025.
Gareth Lever, of the Salford Astronomical Society, said: “It’s unusual to see something like that over Salford.”
The Salford Astronomical Society are a group that are interested in the telescopic and binocular viewing of rockets, stars, and space travel.
Gareth continued: “We have some members that have been doing astronomy for years, and they’ve never witnessed anything like this before.”
Reports suggest that the fuel dump was also spotted in Lincolnshire, North Yorkshire, North Wales, Pembrokeshire, New Zealand, and Italy.
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