SYDNEY, June 6 (Xinhua) -- An Australian astronomer said here on Sunday that a bright spiraling light spotted in the sky by people across eastern Australia was probably a satellite, space junk or a rocket.
The UFO was seen moving through the sky just before Saturday's sunrise in New South Wales, Queensland and capital city Canberra.
Geoffrey Whyatt from the Sydney Observatory said it should not be a UFO, but rather a satellite, space junk or a rocket.
"The fact that you've got the rotation, the spiral effect, is very reminiscent of the much widely reported sightings from Norway and Russia last year, which both turned out to be a Bulava missile which was being adjusted in its orbit," he said.
"So possibly a rocket, I would say, having some sort of gyroscopic stability rocket fired on its side."
The people who have seen the flying object described it as a " lollipop-type swirl". It hovered for a while before gradually moving in an eastern direction until it was out of sight. Those who saw it said photos do not reflect how large it actually was.
Canberra resident James Butcher said he was driving home from a night out with his brother when they spotted the "strange spiral light in the sky".
"It had a distinct bright center, much like a bright star, indicating an object shedding light trails, spiraling and fattening out from it," he said.
