What was up with that weird light in the sky?
On Saturday at about 6 p.m., law enforcement and media outlets were flooded with calls reporting a mysterious light streaking across the Southern California sky, making some suspect nuclear war, an unexpected comet, or even an alien invasion.
But the light was none of these things, a Navy spokesman told The San Diego Union-Tribune. Cmdr. Ryan Perry with the Navy鈥檚 Third Fleet told the Union-Tribune that the light can be attributed to a routine, unarmed Trident missile test-fire by the Navy.
鈥淭he tests were a part of a ,鈥� the Pentagon said in a statement. 鈥淟aunches are conducted on a frequent, recurring basis to ensure the continued reliability of they system. Each test activity provides valuable information about our systems, thus contributing to assurance in our capabilities.鈥�
The was conducted from the USS Kentucky, a ballistic missile submarine in the Pacific Test Range, off the Southern California coast.
And the Navy says all missile tests are unexpected to the public because information regarding test launches is classified prior to testing.
But viewers from across California, Nevada, Colorado and Arizona say they were confused because the light was unlike anything they had ever seen.
鈥淚鈥檓 like it鈥檚 not a firework, it鈥檚 not a falling star, 鈥 don鈥檛 know what it was鈥ut it was coolest thing I鈥檝e ever seen in my life,鈥� skywatcher Jessica Blecker told NBC7.
鈥淚t was very wild watching this in the sky,鈥� Julien Solomita, who documented the strange light, told the Associated Press. 鈥淚 can鈥檛 really say what I thought it was because anything remotely close to it.鈥�
Actress Lena Dunham, creator and star of the HBO show 鈥楪irls,鈥� posted a video of the light on her Instagram account and joked, 鈥溾��
Many excited viewers thought the light was part of the annual Taurid meteor shower. But UC San Diego astrophysicist Brian Keating dismissed this possibility to The San Diego Union-Tribune, noting that the the light was coming from the west, whereas Taurid meteors come from the east. 鈥淲e鈥檇 also be more likely to see meteors about midnight, and ,鈥� he added.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has confirmed that 鈥渘ighttime flights into and out of Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) will avoid passing over the Pacific Ocean just to the west of the airport鈥� beginning Friday night through Thursday night because the US military has .
Nighttime flights going in and out of LAX typically use a flight path over the Pacific to avoid disrupting local Los Angeles neighborhoods. Neither the FAA nor LAX have confirmed if Saturday鈥檚 missile test is related to the military鈥檚 airspace activation.
