A spectacular spiral light show in the sky above Norway on Wednesday was caused by a Russian missile that failed just after launch, according to Russia’s defense ministry.

When the rocket motor spun out of control, it likely created the heavenly spiral of white light near where the missile was launched from a submarine in the White Sea.

The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed that a Bulava ballistic missile test had failed.

“It has been established … that the missile’s first two stages worked as normal, but there was a technical malfunction at the next, third, stage of the trajectory,” Reuters quoted a Defense Ministry spokesman as saying.

Paal Brekke, a senior adviser at the Norwegian Space CentreDrammensvn, told Space.com that the cloud was “very spectacular.”

“When we looked at the videos people submitted to the media, we quickly concluded that it looked like a rocket or missile out of control, thus the spiraling effect,” Brekke said. “I think this is the first time we have seen such a display from a launch failure.”

The phenomenon was seen by people all over northern Norway.

“It was a fairly stunning display, and we were really surprised to see it so well-observed,” Brekke said.

Viewers described an eerie white cloud with a piercing blue-green beam coming out of it.

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“It consisted initially of a green beam of light similar in color to the aurora with a mysterious rotating spiral at one end,” Nick Banbury of Harstad, Norway, told Spaceweather.com. “This spiral then got bigger and bigger until it turned into a hugehalo in the sky with the green beam extending down to Earth.”

Banbury said he saw the lights on his way to work between 7:50 and 8 a.m. local time, or 1:50 to 2 a.m. ET Wednesday.

“We are used to seeing lots of auroras here in Norway, but this was different,” he said.

Before the missile test was confirmed, many people suggested the bright light pattern might have been a UFO. Russia finally admitted to the accident, which is an embarrassing mishap for a rocket that had already failed six of 13 previous tests, according to the BBC.

A mysterious light appeared in the sky above Norway last night, causing many citizens to call the Meteorological Institute and others to go back to bed. Me? Suspecting it was a time portal, I would have strapped on a rocketpack and flown right into the middle of it. DINOSAURS HERE I COOOOOOOME!

Witnesses from Trøndelag to Finnmark compared the amazing sight to anything from a Russian rocket to a meteor or a shock wave - although no one appears to have mentioned UFOs yet.

The phenomenon began when what appeared to be a blue light seemed to soar up from behind a mountain. It stopped mid-air, then began to circulate.

Within seconds a giant spiral had covered the entire sky. Then a green-blue beam of light shot out from its centre - lasting for ten to twelve minutes before disappearing completely.

Many are claiming the lights were caused by a Russian missile launch gone wrong, but I think there’s a simpler, must more logical explanation: evil wizard mad scientist. more…