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Strange Light

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kneeshoe

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 25, 2005
Posts
50
I live about 10nm south of John Wayne Airport (KSNA) and at around 1930 local, I saw the strangest thing in the sky. It was a bright white light traveling from North to South at a very fast speed. It left an amazing contrail that was illuminated by the setting sun. I had no idea what it was, I guessed maybe a meteor or something. So I called the FSS to get a better idea, and they said they had gotten several phone calls about it. The briefer wasn't sure what it was but guessed that it was a missle shot off from Vandenberg AFB. I was wondering if anyone knew exactly what it was. It really was an amazing sight (whatever it was)!
 
Saw the same thing down here in Carlsbad, looked like a missile to me. It appeared to be heading down towards San Diego when I lost sight of it.
 
clearly a missile! Over 700 eyewitnesses saw a similar phenomena the night TWA 800 exploded over the Atlantic. OH BUT IT WAS A FUEL TANK EXPLOSION!!! yeh right!
 
For what its worth I remember seeing a vandenberg launch way up here in santa cruz (200 miles to the north or so) It was part of a missle-defense test and was headed out to the southwest pacific.... from that far away I easily saw it...
 
VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. - A rocket carrying a military research satellite blasted off Thursday, dazzling spectators from California to Arizona with a rainbow of colors as it streaked across the sky at dusk.

The Minotaur rocket carrying a DARPA payload launched into orbit at 7:24 p.m. from Vandenberg Air Force Base, said Maj. Todd Fleming.

DARPA is the research and development arm of the Pentagon. The 920-pound "Streak" payload will stay in orbit for a year, gathering information about the Earth's environment in low orbit. The mission's cost is classified.

The payload was so named because of the streaking movement it makes across the sky.

After blastoff, the rocket - made from decommissioned first and second stages of a Minuteman 2 missile - tracked over the Pacific.

"It was just bright, bright white. I've never seen anything like that," said Ken Baker, who was driving along California's Pacific Coast Highway from El Segundo to Manhattan Beach when he saw the rocket streaking across the night sky.

"It almost looked like a laser, it was so bright," Baker told The Associated Press.

People throughout Central and Southern California and parts of Arizona also reported seeing the launch. To some, the rocket's contrail produced a swirl of red, green, blue and yellow as the rays of the sun, which had already set, reflected off it as it raced into the sky.
 

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