At 8:59 p.m. PDT, on Tuesday, May 5, 2026, a little over 2,100 kilometres due south of Prince George, B.C., a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket blasted off from Space Launch Complex 4 East, at Vandenberg Air Force Base, near Santa Maria, California.
According to the company’s website, this rocket was carrying 24 new Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit.
Falcon 9 launches from Vandenberg AFB head in a southerly direction, as these rockets deliver their payloads into a polar orbit. The first stage of the rocket boosts the second stage and payload high into the atmosphere, then detaches and lands again, about 8 minutes later, either at a landing pad on ground or on a droneship out at sea.
A long-exposure image of the Falcon 9 rocket captured during the launch of the SL-17-29 Starlink mission. (SpaceX)
Meanwhile, the rocket’s second stage propels the satellite payload around the planet, first passing over the south pole, then around the other side of the planet, and returning over the north pole — a trip that takes roughly 90 minutes, based on the booster’s speed and altitude.
On these missions, once the second stage has completed its delivery in orbit, it typically dumps any remaining fuel in preparation for reentering the atmosphere, where it will burn up, with any remaining debris expected to splash down in the ocean.
With this glowing blob showing up about 75-90 minutes after the launch, and it travelling from north to south above Prince George, the timing and direction match up very well for this phenomenon to have been a result of a SpaceX second stage fuel dump.