MANCHESTER, N.H. —

Many Granite Staters noticed what appeared to be a cloudy spiral light in the sky Tuesday night.

There were sightings in Hooksett, Wilton, Chichester and on Lake Winnipesaukee, among several other New Hampshire communities. It was also seen in other states, including Vermont, Maine, New York, Missouri and Illinois.

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The sighting came on the same night that the Perseid meteor shower was peaking. But the light was not a meteor.

The spiral image became visible a couple of hours after Europe’s Ariane 6 rocket took off at 8:37 p.m. ET from the European Space Agency's spaceport in French Guiana in South America.

Astronomer Jonathan McDowell said the spiral glow was likely caused by the d

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