{"id":18684,"date":"2017-12-23T21:26:47","date_gmt":"2017-12-23T13:26:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/aliens-in-l-a-santa-even-elon-musk-has-some-fun-with-spacex-rockets-sky-show\/"},"modified":"2017-12-23T21:26:47","modified_gmt":"2017-12-23T13:26:47","slug":"aliens-in-l-a-santa-even-elon-musk-has-some-fun-with-spacex-rockets-sky-show","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/aliens-in-l-a-santa-even-elon-musk-has-some-fun-with-spacex-rockets-sky-show\/","title":{"rendered":"Aliens in L.A.? Santa? Even Elon Musk has some fun with SpaceX rocket\u2019s sky show"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Rocket
The contrail left behind by SpaceX\u2019s Falcon 9 launch looked like a giant fish in the skies over Southern California. (Elon Musk via Twitter)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The bloom of exhaust that blossomed in Southern California\u2019s skies during Friday evening\u2019s liftoff of a Falcon 9 rocket sparked jokes and jitters \u2014 with SpaceX CEO Elon Musk joining in.<\/p>\n

Was it an alien visitation? A North Korean rocket attack? A stunt involving Santa\u2019s sleigh?<\/p>\n

Folks who were following the launch of 10 Iridium NEXT satellites from Vandenberg Air Force Base at sunset knew full well what it was: a rocket booster\u2019s contrail, catching the last rays of sunlight high above the California coast.<\/p>\n

But for a while there, it was a mystery to unaware residents in Los Angeles, San Diego and locales in between. Such displays, including the infamous \u201cNorway Spiral\u201d of 2009, often spark UFO reports. Here\u2019s a sampling from Twitter showing how Friday\u2019s UFO sighting played out:<\/p>\n

https:\/\/twitter.com\/HGRHscie\/status\/944507731657895936<\/p>\n