http://en.fotolia.com/id/3437259
http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-1756295/stock-photo-sunset-with-contrail.html
I can't believe the hype that is being generated on Fox News over this? Aircraft contrails can be mis-interpreted as ballistic launches. Just because a trail emerges out of the horizon does not mean a ballistic missile launch. Look at the aircraft contrail images from California back in 2009. It is all about perspective. I've witnessed lit aircraft contrails exactly like this.
Have you seen the video?
Hey man, watch the frekin video....this is no contrail leftover from jet combustion. I am a retired meteorologist and used to forecast contrails for a living. This is a BIG DEAL.
Again, watch the video, not the screen capture.
Check out the full video. It clearly shows the missile at the top of the exhaust. Everyone is saying it’s a missile. The question is where it came from.
Tommyjo - If it’s just an aircraft, ATC would have dispelled it by last night. And the Pentagon sure as hell wouldn’t step up to the microphone and tell the world they have no idea what’s going on.
It MIGHT be contrails, but no one in power is behaving like it is, first off, by actually confirming it was an aircraft.
Look at the video man...Have you never witnessed a missile launch? We've seen *lots* of Vandenberg launches live, and this is *exactly* what this was.
Lit aircraft contrail with fire coming out the back? Come on, man. Even the Pentagon is not denying it was a missile.
Watch the earliest videos. They show the vehicle propagating the contrails.
The image you chose to dispute the missile theory, and to bolster the contrail theory is unfortunate. While they both widen at the point of origin, and taper as they progress, they differ significantly in the point of origin. The missile image clearly begins VERY close to the ground, while the contrail image definitely is formed high in the atmosphere : /
Besides, your "contrails" are backwards for a "missle" launch. The fat end should be closer to the earth...