What Was The Bizarre Light In SoCal Sky?

LOS ANGELES, CA — Dozens of cars pulled to the side of the 405 Freeway during rush hour Friday night after seeing a bizarre light and trail appear in the sky. The glowing trail lingered in the night sky for at least ten minutes after the light appeared. The light reportedly came from a contrail from the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket that was scheduled to liftoff from Vandenberg Air Force Base Friday evening.

The rocket launched at 5:27 p.m., carrying 10 satellites to low-Earth orbit, according to the Los Angeles Times. Hence, the light show.

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Despite warning that the launch would be visible across Southern California, the unusual sight took people by surprise. Witnesses described the light as a giant orb or smoky. Some reported hearing a boom before seeing the light. The light appeared to be traveling southwest above the Orange County coastline. People from the Inland Empire south to Temecula and San Diego all the way to the Los Angeles coastline reported seeing the light.

Residents in one Orange County neighborhood gathered outside their homes speculating about the light with some wondering if it was a missile interception, a plane crash or meteor.

SpaceX is a private space exploration company founded by Elon Musk, who also started Tesla. Musk tweeted a video of the rocket, joking that it was a "Nuclear alien UFO from North Korea."

Colin Miner, Patch Staff contributed to this report. Photo courtesy Paige Austin/ Patch and by Lori Minnick