A STREAK of blazing light spotted over Britain was a Chinese space rocket and not a UFO, say experts.
Witnesses reported seeing the bright pillar at around dawn last Wednesday.
Ellie Jarvis, 45, from Clovelly, Devon, was up unusually early when she captured the sight.
She said: “I couldn’t believe it.
“We’ve seen auroras before, but I didn’t know what this was.
‘‘It was so straight and high up in the sky.
“I wondered if it was a natural trick of the light.”
Ellie, who has lived in the village for 20 years, added: “I was so surprised when I found out what it actually was.
“I’d already shared it in our family group chat and we had all kinds of theories.”
Scientists said it was most likely caused by a Chinese rocket’s exhaust catching the rising sun.
Astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell said: “It was definitely the Chinese Zhuque-3 rocket making its first test flight.”
The rocket, launched from near the Mongolia border, is to carry space shuttles and satellites.
