What Caused The Mysterious Light Show In The Minnesota Sky?

Recently, I informed you about a celestial event scheduled to occur on the evening of August 12th, 2025, approximately 30 to 45 minutes after sunset. The planets Jupiter and Venus were to line up closer together than the width of the moon.

Although that event did happen, that wasn't what people were talking about.

WHAT IS THAT?

People were already looking to the skies to see meteors streaking across the sky due to the Perseid Meteor Shower. That wasn't what people were talking about either. There was something completely unexpected going on that no one realized.

SWIRLY SWIRLY SWIRLY

People who were viewing the heavens happened to see something that appeared to be spinning. It looked like a rectangular-shaped light. Some people thought that perhaps we were seeing an alien aircraft. Others thought it was some kind of star-related incident.

ROCKET LAUNCHES - BUT WHICH ONE?

According to sources, what we were viewing was from a rocket launch. One news station thinks that it could have been the Ariane 6 rocket, which was launched from the European Space Station on Tuesday evening. It was carrying a 4-ton weather and climate satellite that will be orbiting our planet, sending us valuable weather information.

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At 9:45 pm Central Time, the rocket dumped fuel. This could have been what we were seeing in Minnesota, as the timeline matches closely with the reported sightings.

Photo by SpaceX on Unsplash

THE OTHER ROCKET LAUNCH

There is another possibility. There was a rocket launched from Cape Canaveral called the Vulcan rocket, which carried and released an experimental navigation Satellite. That was at approximately 8 pm.

According to all of the articles I read, everyone seems to think regardless of which rocket launch activity we saw, it was a fuel dump swirling around up there, because at high altitudes, the fuel can turn into ice, which can cause that swirling appearance in the nighttime sky, especially if the sun is shining on it.

Have you seen something odd in the sky? We'd love to see your photos. Send them to kelly.cordes@townsquaremedia.com.

Beautiful Photos From Clemens Gardens

This weekend was a great one to get out and do something fun. I wanted to destress, so I drove over to Clemens Gardens for a nice stroll through the gardens. What a beautiful place it is. There are flowers everywhere, as well as fountains and statues. These photos only capture part of what's available to see, but in case you haven't had a chance to visit, now is a great time to view them, as everything is in full bloom. Take a look at some beautiful photos and then make a plan to take your own trip. All of your senses will thank you.

Gallery Credit: Photos by Kelly Cordes