While searching for "shooting stars" from the Perseid meteor shower, stargazers across large parts of the U.S. were recently treated to a stunning surprise: a giant spiral of ghostly white light. And while we know what phenomenon they saw, experts are not 100% sure of its exact oirgin.
At around 10:30 p.m. ET Tuesday (Aug. 12), right as the Perseid meteor shower started to peak, a faint point of light emerged in the skies over parts of the U.S. and Canada, before quickly growing and unfurling itself into a giant, luminous whirlpool. It then sailed across the sky for around 10 minutes, before dissipating into nothingness. It was spotted in at least 10 states, including Maryland, New York, New Jersey, Illinois, Ohio and Nebraska.
