Photographer Captures Brilliant White Streak Alongside the Auroras, But It’s Not What You Think

Photo credit: Mike Lewinski
The night of May 17, 2025, turned the skies above the United States into a jaw-dropping cosmic canvas that had everyone staring upward. A sudden geomagnetic storm splashed the heavens with glowing auroras—ribbons of green, blue, and red swirling across the horizon. The real showstopper was a dazzling white streak that flashed across the night, stealing the spotlight from the northern lights.

Around 1130pm MST May 16 north of Farmington New Mexico 38N, I was hyperlapsing with a Galaxy S24 ultra. The #aurora was visual but colorless… then the brightest sight I've ever seen in the night sky appeared overhead! #northernlights #auroraborealis pic.twitter.com/6lXJsiwHwH

— Derick Wilson (@Xhillsblockview) May 17, 2025

Those auroras were already a gorgeous gift from the sky, making the night unforgettable. A burst of energy from the Sun on May 12 caused this G2-level geomagnetic storm, catching everyone by surprise. A huge eruption from the Sun’s northern side sent a wing-shaped cloud of charged particles and magnetic fields toward Earth. Experts thought it would miss us, but the cloud’s wider-than-expected reach brushed Earth’s magnetic field, lighting up auroras as far south as Colorado and New Mexico. Photographers like Mike Lewinski in Crestone, Colorado, and Derick Wilson in Farmington, New Mexico, snapped the shimmering colors low on the northern horizon. Then, around 11:30 p.m. MST, a sudden, bright streak blazed through the sky, looking straight out of a sci-fi movie.



At first, some thought this streak might be STEVE, that rare atmospheric phenomenon often mistaken for an aurora. STEVE, or Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancement, shows up as a purple or white ribbon during intense solar storms, sometimes joined by green “picket fence” lights. But this wasn’t STEVE. Skywatchers quickly realized the streak’s behavior didn’t match—too fast, too linear, too otherworldly. Mike Lewinski described it as “reminiscent of a rocket re-entry,” a glowing line that appeared high overhead and flowed down to the horizon. Tyler Schlitt, snapping photos from southern Kansas, caught the same plume, its brilliance cutting through the auroral glow. Social media lit up with speculation, from comets to UFOs, but the truth was both more grounded and just as fascinating.

Just saw STEVE with my friends here in Southern Kansas is 45 minutes north of Greensburg! #kswx @Vincent_Ledvina @evanjames_wx @TuckerWilliam88 @WickyDubs2 @AuroraNotify @spacewxwatch @TamithaSkov @AStormofPassion pic.twitter.com/LDzQPl1HAM

— TylerSchlittPhotography (@Stormchaser_TS) May 17, 2025

Enter the Zhuque-2, a Chinese rocket whose upper stage was the culprit behind this skyward drama. According to astronomer Jonathan McDowell, the streak was likely a fuel dump from the rocket’s upper stage, passing over the US Four Corners region at 11:25 p.m. MST on May 16. At an altitude of about 155 miles, the rocket released a cloud of exhaust that caught the sunlight, transforming it into a glowing contrail that seemed to defy gravity. This wasn’t a meteor, burning up in a fiery flash, nor a satellite, inching along with a steady glow. It was a high-altitude performance, a cosmic contrail illuminated against the dark canvas of the night.
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