Strange swirling light spotted over NYC, Long Island creates panic, confusion — here’s what it was

A strange, swirling light spotted floating in the night sky above New York City and Long Island was the remnants of a rocket launch that originated nearly 3,000 miles away, according to reports and authorities.

The European Space Agency launched a weather-monitoring satellite using the Ariane 6 heavy-lift rocket on Tuesday from the agency’s spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, just after 6 p.m. local time, the ESA said on its website.

Several videos taken by stunned viewers caught the hazy S-shaped white light shining above the Big Apple skyline and the Long Island suburbs.

“This made for a cool, yet understandably unnerving sky for a short time,” News12 Long Island Lead Meteorologist Matt Hammer wrote on X.

“What was this thing flying over the New York skyline tonight? At first, I thought it was a SpaceX rocket, but it moved left to right- this is from Hunter’s Point in Long Island City,” another user posted alongside a video of the ghostly light.

The launch of the over 196-foot Sentinel-1D satellite was in the second stage of its burnout as it was seen over New York, WKTV reported.

Viewers also reported seeing the object across Philadelphia, Massachusetts, Virginia, and Cape Cod in social media posts.

“What happens is they travel in the upper atmosphere, and they release excess fuel. Once that fuel hits the upper atmosphere, it freezes, makes ice crystals up there. And so you get the swirl that happens,” StormTeam 5 meteorologist Mike Wankum told WCVB of the rocket launch.

“Everything has to be just right to see it. But that’s what you’re looking at,” he added.

The satellite is the fourth to be launched by the agency to assist disaster-response teams, climate scientists, and government agencies, UPI reported.

Data produced by the satellite will also help maritime authorities who need frequent, vital updates on weather conditions, the agency said.