Irish skies were illuminated by a mysterious bright object on Wednesday night, sparking widespread curiosity before experts confirmed its probable origin: debris from an Elon Musk rocket.
The peculiar burst of light, witnessed across various parts of Ireland, prompted numerous questions from surprised onlookers.
Social media users on X described the phenomenon as having a "halo" and moving at a "slightly varying speed".
Both experts and amateur stargazers swiftly deduced the dazzling display was the ejection of fuel from a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, which had launched from Florida earlier on Wednesday.
The bright light is understood to have been caused by excess rocket fuel being expelled, freezing in the atmosphere, and then reflecting sunlight back to Earth.
SpaceX, the aerospace company owned by tech billionaire Elon Musk, operates the Starlink international satellite telecommunications service, utilising a network of low-Earth orbit satellites.
The path and the trajectory of the rocket matches the reported sightings over Ireland, experts said.
Falcon 9 launches 29 @Starlink satellites from Florida pic.twitter.com/sxFIRM0tBg
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) October 29, 2025
Space commentator Leo Enright said ejecting fuel from rockets was a normal occurrence.
“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,” Mr Enright told the PA news agency.
“It does look spectacular if it happens at a particular time of the day, when the viewer down on earth is in darkness or near darkness and the rocket stage is in light.”
He said the view is often “more spectacular” than was seen on Wednesday night because the ejected fuel can be seen rotating.
“When the stage is rotating you get a truly extraordinary spiral effect that makes it look like a galaxy.”
Asked why the spectacle had not grabbed attention in Ireland previously, he said: “The lighting, that’s the reason.
“It’s all to do with lighting, and also honestly seeing anything from Ireland is a challenge.
“So I’m sure it’s happened in the sky and we just couldn’t see it because of cloud.”
Mr Enright also said there was an irony to the sighting because astronomers from around the world are meeting in Westport, Co Mayo, this week to discuss the clutter effect of satellites causing congestion in the skies.
“Astronomers are extremely annoyed about the effect this is having on their ability to look at the stars,” he said.
“These damn satellites are getting in the way and the problem is getting worse and worse.”
He said that some months ago “a big chunk” from a SpaceX rocket fell “harmlessly” in a field in Poland.
“The reason why Ireland is quite vulnerable (to space debris) is that we are, generally speaking, at the highest point on the map of the launch trajectory of the rockets out of Cape Canaveral (in Florida).
“So it’s never been an issue up to now because rockets were only launching once a week, maybe, now they’re launching virtually once a day out of Cape Canaveral with the SpaceX rockets.”
AirNav Ireland has been contacted for comment.
Elon Musk is taking control of space and the internet – and it could end badly
Elon Musk takes another shot at Transport Secretary: ‘‘He need moar brainz!’
‘Why are you gay?’: Elon Musk’s slur escalates feud with Trump cabinet member
Astronomers explain source of bright flashes in 1950s photos long linked to UFOs
Japan successfully launches new cargo spacecraft to deliver supplies to ISS
Mysterious debris found in Australia ‘likely from Chinese rocket’
