AVON, Conn. (WFSB) - The unusual swirls that appeared in Connecticut skies Tuesday evening and flooded social media were not aliens, but rather the result of a weather satellite launch from over 2,000 miles away.

The European Space Agency launched a rocket from French Guiana carrying a new weather observation satellite into orbit. The strange spiral patterns visible after dusk were created by the rocket’s upper stages falling back to Earth.

Photos and videos of the phenomenon quickly spread across social media platforms as residents captured the unexpected sky show.

Dr. Jay White, director of science and innovation at the Talcott Mountain Science Center in Avon, explained what Connecticut residents actually witnessed.

“What most people around here saw were upper stages of the spacecraf

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