A mysterious spiral-like shape was spotted in the skies above Hampshire last night.

The shape was reportedly caused by an excess fuel dump during a SpaceX rocket launch.

At 8pm on Monday, Test Valley councillor Amanda Ford's boyfriend spotted the "bright object", which she compared to a UFO.

She said: "[My boyfriend] came back home and called me outside to view the clear night sky. There was a bright object above the house. 

"It was remarkable and I was stunned. The object had a bright light around it whilst travelling across the night sky. It looked like something out of this world."

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The spiral pattern was spotted above North Baddesley at around 8pm last night (Image: Martyn Pay) The BBC has reported that the phenomenon is "believed to have been caused by leftover fuel released by the rocket in space" from a SpaceX launch.

It is reported that the pattern came from a Falcon 9 rocket launched by Elon Musk's space company, which lifted off at around 1.50pm local time in Florida on a classified US government mission.

The Falcon 9 is a reusable rocket. After launching into space, it releases what is called its payload - whatever it is carrying, such as a satellite, to complete its mission - which continues its journey into space.

The rocket then turns back around towards Earth. As it does, it ejects any leftover fuel, which freezes instantly due to the altitude in a spiral pattern caused by the rocket's movement.

Light is then reflected off the frozen fuel, making it visible on Earth.