A visitor to the Cornish coast was left stunned after spotting mysterious swirling lights in the sky

06:43, 28 Dec 2025Updated 12:36, 29 Dec 2025

Rob Beck captured these mysterious swirling lights in the sky near Perranporth. (Credit : Submitted)Rob Beck captured these mysterious swirling lights in the sky near Perranporth. (Credit : Submitted)

Mysterious swirling lights have been spotted in the sky, appearing as glowing blue spirals that have left witnesses questioning what exactly is flying above the earth.

The silent, rotating phenomena have sparked debate among stargazers and experts alike, as the strange displays continue to fascinate those lucky enough to capture them on camera.

Rob Beck has shared photos of the swirling display, which he spotted near Perranporth while on a festive break in Cornwall.

Rob said he had seen the lights in the skies and had no idea what they were, but added that they seemed “pretty weird.”

Rob Beck captured these mysterious swirling lights in the sky near Perranporth. (Credit : Submitted)Rob Beck captured these mysterious swirling lights in the sky near Perranporth. (Credit : Submitted)

The sighting occurred at approximately 5pm on Thursday, December 25. Rob and his partner had travelled from London to stay in an AirBnB for the holiday period.

Rob said: “Me and my partner came down from London for Christmas Day to have a break, and this is what we saw when we had a hot tub around 5pm on Christmas Day.”

Similar lights have been seen across the UK, with Nottinghamshire Live reporting that rockets launched by Elon Musk likely produced a blue oddity in the night sky.

Previous light shows were created by projectiles dumping fuel in space, resulting in a vapour trail that reflects sunlight. In October, Cornwall Live reported that experts deduced a similar distracting light was the ejection of fuel from a SpaceX Falcon nine rocket launched from Florida.

Elon Musk owns SpaceX, which operates low-earth orbit satellites for Starlink, an international telecommunications service.

Rob Beck captured these mysterious swirling lights in the sky near Perranporth. (Credit : Submitted)Rob Beck captured these mysterious swirling lights in the sky near Perranporth. (Credit : Submitted)

The bright light is caused by the process of excess rocket fuel being ejected, freezing, and then reflecting light back to Earth. Space commentator Leo Enright told the PA news agency that ejecting fuel was a normal occurrence.

He said: “If they keep the fuel in the rocket, there is a danger that it will explode and shower debris, so it is a standard practice now for space companies to vent fuel.”

He added that the view looks spectacular if it happens at a particular time of day, when the viewer on earth is in darkness, while the rocket stage remains in the light.

He added: “When the stage is rotating, you get a truly extraordinary spiral effect that makes it look like a galaxy.”

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