A mysterious light phenomenon was observed over Sweden and Norway on Sunday evening, sparking wonder among many witnesses. The phenomenon was caused by a rocket from Elon Musk's SpaceX performing an orbital maneuver over Scandinavia. Astronomer Eric Stempels explains that such events may become more common with increasing launches.
On Sunday, January 11, 2026, around 17:30 Swedish time, an unusual light phenomenon was reported in the sky over large parts of Sweden. Several witnesses, including Abdulrazzak Mazloum in Bjursås and Malin Carlsson in Torpunga, described a bright, moving light that appeared and glided slowly from south to north. Mazloum, who was at work, stepped outside to photograph it and initially thought it was a meteorite. "I saw something shining in the sky, brighter than ordinary stars, and then I saw it moving," he says.
Carlsson, who was looking for northern lights outside Eskilstuna, was shocked by the sight. "It suddenly appeared and glided slowly across the sky from south to north," she recounts, adding: "I thought, damn, UFOs have arrived now." She noted it was silent, unlike a helicopter. Several of Aftonbladet's readers from various parts of the country reported similar observations.
According to astronomer Eric Stempels at Uppsala University, it was neither a meteorite nor a UFO, but a SpaceX rocket. The rocket was launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California at 14:44 Swedish time, aimed at deploying satellites to search for life on other planets. After deployment, the rocket was deorbited over Scandinavia to avoid collisions with other satellites in orbit. "It was a rocket performing an orbital maneuver over Scandinavia. It's probably a rocket launched in the USA in California," Stempels explains. It is described as a diffuse white light with a bubble that grows, resembling a jellyfish.
The deorbiting caused the rocket to fall back to Earth within one to one and a half hours, likely into the Pacific Ocean. "If you do the braking in Scandinavia, it will fall into the Pacific Ocean. Which means you get it down in a place where not so many people live," Stempels says. The phenomenon was also observed in Norway, where it caused delays in air traffic at Lakselv Airport due to airspace disruptions.
Stempels warns that such light phenomena will become more common. "In the past year, we've had three of these. Given how often companies want to send things into orbit right now, this will probably become more common," he states. Despite the risks of increased space traffic, he sees a positive side: "It's a problem in itself. But if you want to see nice rocket phenomena, you'll be happy".
