An Unexpected Rocket Plume over San Francisco
Image Credit & Copyright: Abe Blair (Abe Blair Gallery)
Explanation: What is that unusual light in the sky? A common question, this particular light was not only bright but moving and expanding. It appeared just as the astrophotographer and his friend were photographing the
Golden Gate Bridge in
San Francisco,
California against a more predictable night sky. They were not alone in seeing
this unusual display -- at least hundreds of people in California reported a similar sight. The consensus of
experienced sky observers was that the
plume resulted from a rocket launch -- an explanation that was
soon confirmed as an unpublicized test of a
submarine-launched, unarmed,
Trident II D5 nuclear missile. Such tests are not uncommon but do not usually occur just after
sunset near a major metropolitan area -- when they are
particularly noticeable to many people. Were
plume images not posted to
the Internet and
quickly identified, such a sky spectacle might have been understood by some to be associated with
more grandiose -- but incorrect -- explanations.
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