Regional spiral phenomenon, 9 October 2017

Official source account — 2017 annual report, printed page 39: On 9 October 2017, observers in several Argentine provinces and neighboring countries saw an unusual spiral-like luminous phenomenon. The report includes video filmed at about 19:40 local time by volunteer firefighters in General Ramírez, Entre Ríos, and a comparison photograph from Montevideo. CEFAE matched the observations to residual-fuel venting from a Japanese H-2A rocket launched approximately forty minutes earlier, using the documented trajectory and orbital analysis. The summaries distinguish reported observations from the agency’s proposed explanations. Source Type A/B ratings describe explanatory confidence and are not encounter classes.