A strange glowing streak of white light appeared across the skies of at least seven U.S. states on May 17, 2025. The unusual sight was caused by a Chinese rocket that had just launched six satellites into orbit. Before reentering Earth’s atmosphere, the rocket released leftover fuel, creating a giant glowing ribbon in space that reflected sunlight back toward Earth.
The streak, which looked similar to the northern lights, was visible for around ten minutes in places like Colorado, New Mexico, Missouri, Idaho, Utah, Nebraska, and Washington. Many people who saw it thought it was a natural aurora or a rare phenomenon known as STEVE, but experts later explained it was actually caused by the rocket’s “fuel dump.”
When the fuel was released about 250 kilometers (155 miles) above Earth, it froze into tiny crystals that reflected sunlight. This created the huge glowing trail, which looked even more dramatic because it appeared during a geomagnetic storm that also produced auroras.
China’s Zhuque-2E rocket, built by the company LandSpace, uses liquid methane and oxygen as its fuel. This new type of rocket fuel, called “methalox,” is considered cleaner and easier to store than traditional fuels like kerosene. Scientists are also excited about it because methane can potentially be made on other planets, like Mars, which could help future space missions.
Light shows like this are not unique to China. SpaceX rockets have also created glowing spirals and streaks in the sky after releasing fuel. While these displays are beautiful, they remind us how active human space exploration has become—and how events in space can unexpectedly light up the night sky here on Earth.
