SpaceX鈥檚 first launch on the West Coast left the California skies glowing with a spectacular trail of light, forcing the Los Angeles mayor to inform residents they were not witnessing an alien invasion.

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched Sunday, to deploy an Argentinian satellite before successfully returning to land at the Vandenberg Air Force Base northwest of L.A.

While the rocket鈥檚 launch and subsequent return to Earth lasted just 15 minutes, it traced a bright luminescent trail across the sky that some people

Social media users from as far away as Phoenix, Ariz. -- more than 850 kilometres form the launch site -- reported seeing the strange lights in the night sky.

In advance of the rocket launch, that they might see multiple engine burns in the sky and hear one or more sonic booms on the rocket鈥檚 return to Earth.

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk also warned that the launch but the rocket still caused a spike of Californians turning to

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti worked to defuse the speculation, in the sky was in fact the Falcon 9 and 鈥渄efinitely not aliens.鈥�

With files from Storyful and The Associated Press

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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