Falcon 9 'jellyfish' over Los Angeles
- Date
- 22 Dec 2017
- Place
- Launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base, seen across Southern California and Arizona, United States
- Record
- Curated case
- Assessment
- Explained
- Evidence strength
What was reported
A SpaceX Falcon 9 carrying ten Iridium NEXT satellites lifted off from Vandenberg at about 5:30 p.m. on 22 December 2017, just after sunset; its sunlit exhaust spread into a glowing, jellyfish-shaped cloud seen from Santa Barbara to San Diego and Phoenix. Drivers stopped on Los Angeles freeways to film it and emergency services and television stations received many UFO reports, before the Los Angeles Fire Department issued an advisory identifying the launch. It is the textbook twilight rocket-plume illusion.
What officials concluded
Resolved
SpaceX Falcon 9 launch (LAFD advisory)
Strongest ordinary reading
Sunlit rocket exhaust plume at twilight
Evidence profile
Sensors3 of 9
- Yes: Visual
- No: Infrared
- No: Radar
- Yes: Video
- Yes: Photo
- No: Film
- No: Audio
- No: Night vision
- No: Other sensor
Witnessescount not stated
- Yes: Civilian
- No: Military aircrew
- No: Military ground
- No: Airline crew
- No: Sensor operator
- No: Law enforcement
- No: Scientist
- No: Astronaut
- No: Intelligence official
- No: Other
ShapeOther shape
- No: Light only
- No: Orb or sphere
- No: Disc
- No: Triangle
- No: Cylinder
- No: Cube
- Yes: Other shape
Effectsnone reported
- No: Physiological
- No: Physical trace
- No: Electromagnetic
- No: Sound
- No: Silent
Outside sources
- NBC News: SpaceX rocket lights skynbcnews.com
- Wikipedia: Space jellyfishen.wikipedia.org
On the map
34.63° N, 120.61° W, plotted at the centre of the region named in the record
Show on the map