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Here's What The Government Says You Saw In The Sky Last Night
(Photo courtesy of Preston Newman of Preston Newman Photography / @Newman_Photos)
Late Friday night the FAA announced that flights to and from LAX would avoid flying west over the Pacific Ocean, and airport officials apologized to those living east of the airport for the unexpected noise they would be experiencing. No one disclosed exactly why this was happening, though the FAA indicated that military airspace had been activated in the area. Since most people aren't up to date on FAA alerts, when a light flew over the Southern California sky last night, earthlings naturally assumed what they were seeing was a UFO.
Twitter and Instagram were filled with legitimately confused citizens trying to comprehend what was happening before their eyes. The above photo is what the missile launch looked like to confused onlookers who thought they were about to be abducted. The photo was taken by Preston Newman, whose publicist told us this morning that the image was captured "during his photo shoot at the 4th Street Bridge over the 110 Freeway in Downtown Los Angeles." Others chose to film the phenomenon...
"That had to be a UFO," the man in the below video quietly whispered to himself. He had been filming from a rooftop when the light appeared in the sky—watch closely and you can see any sense of reality start to crumble before him.
Others declared it was a meteor shower, but even though the Taurid meteor shower is still gong on (expect it to rain down fireballs on November 11th), they were wrong, too. So what was it? As we mentioned last night, it was just the government shooting off missiles! NBD.
Word eventually came from the U.S. Navy that an unarmed Trident missile was fired from the USS Kentucky navy submarine, according to the San Diege Union-Tribune. Navy Cmdr. Ryan Perry addressed the scheduled evaluation test, noting in a statement that they are frequently conducted—"Navy Strategic Systems Programs conducted scheduled Trident II (D5) missile test flight at sea from USS Kentucky, an Ohio Class SSBN, in the Pacific Test Range off the coast of Southern California. Each test activity provides valuable information about our systems, thus contributing to assurance in our capabilities."
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The military has activated that airspace through Thursday, so it's possible you'll see this happen again. And with citizens of Earth now privy to these missile launches, it's the PERFECT time for a real UFO make its move.
If you are unsatisfied with the government's explanation of "missiles," the internet has provided plenty of places where you can dig a little deeper.
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You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
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