Sightings2017

Twilight SpaceX launch sets off UFO reports across Southern California

When: 22 Dec 2017
Where: Los Angeles, CA
Sources: 3 public sources

The Iridium-4 Falcon 9 launch from Vandenberg on 22 December 2017 U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jim Araos, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

A Falcon 9 carrying 10 Iridium satellites lifted off from Vandenberg Air Force Base at dusk, leaving a sunlit plume seen across Southern California. Drivers stopped to watch and many people posted UFO fears; the Los Angeles Fire Department said the light came from the rocket launch.

Sources

PressSpaceX Rocket Launch Lights Up The California Sky, Freaks Out Some Residents (opens in a new tab)NPR / 2017-12-23
PressRocket lights sky as it carries satellites from Vandenberg AFB (Associated Press) (opens in a new tab)Military Times / 2017-12-24
PressUFO? No, That's a SpaceX Rocket! These Photos Are Simply Amazing (opens in a new tab)Space.com / 2017-12

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