That dazzling beam of light across the twilight sky of Los Angeles around 7:30 p.m. on Monday was Space X's Falcon 9 carrying 22 Starlink satellites to low-Earth from Vandenberg Space Force Base.
Earthlings from Southern California to Phoenix were treated to a spectacular, if brief, spectacle as night fell and light illuminated the sky, followed by a slowly dissipating trail.
But the images quickly flooded social media, and “SpaceX” became a trending topic on the social networking site beyond the street corners. framed by palm trees and alone in the sky.
The launch was the 10th at the base this year, according to Space
On Friday, coverage of a New York Mets spring training game was “momentarily interrupted,” according to USA Today, when sports commentators were distracted by a SpaceX rocket thundering over Florida Stadium.
The rocket is seen from Huntington Beach at dusk.
(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
Another view of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Huntington Beach.
(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
A contrail snakes in the sky over Highland Park.
(Nathan Solis / Los Angeles Times)
A view of the rocket's aftermath, as seen from Long Beach.
(Luke Money/Los Angeles Times)
The contrail is seen in the sky over Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood.
(Kris Lorenzo)
Evidence of the rocket is seen over El Segundo.
(Shelby Grad/Los Angeles Times)
