The bloom of exhaust that blossomed in Southern California’s skies during Friday evening’s liftoff of a Falcon 9 rocket sparked jokes and jitters — with SpaceX CEO Elon Musk joining in.
Was it an alien visitation? A North Korean rocket attack? A stunt involving Santa’s sleigh?
Folks who were following the launch of 10 Iridium NEXT satellites from Vandenberg Air Force Base at sunset knew full well what it was: a rocket booster’s contrail, catching the last rays of sunlight high above the California coast.
But for a while there, it was a mystery to unaware residents in Los Angeles, San Diego and locales in between. Such displays, including the infamous “Norway Spiral” of 2009, often spark UFO reports. Here’s a sampling from Twitter showing how Friday’s UFO sighting played out:
https://twitter.com/HGRHscie/status/944507731657895936
https://twitter.com/dannysullivan/status/944399013394071554
https://twitter.com/NBCNews/status/944515449361858561
https://twitter.com/fuggirls/status/944380969212977152
https://twitter.com/iamwill/status/944382218394255361
https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/944399853316055040
https://twitter.com/KTLA/status/944622440289796097
https://twitter.com/LizCrokin/status/944561863056150528
https://twitter.com/CristatoLive/status/944381404158111745
https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/944382221435019264
https://twitter.com/planet4589/status/944384678743740416
https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/944496926329733120
https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/944495421161742336
https://twitter.com/nycjayjay/status/944612823384055808
Update for 1:35 p.m. PT Dec. 23: Here’s a particularly nice video from SpaceX engineer Scott Gauer, posted on Facebook:
Update for 1:50 p.m. Dec. 26: This dashcam video shows a three-car pile-up taking place on a Southern California freeway when drivers got distracted by the launch spectacle. It’s a good reminder for drivers to keep their eyes on the road, even if it looks as if aliens are attacking. For more about the accident, check out the reports from KABC and Jalopnik.