MISSILE TRAIL PHOTO

self ^ | today | Demosthenes

[hoot2]

"A moosile launch? "

A chinese moosile launch, with a cheesy guidance system...

[PoorMuttly]

A MOOSILE launch! Of course!!!

Man is Irag in trouble.

[lawdude]

""He then proceeded to dismember his member," he said."

I was driving and saw one of these back in the late 80's. It was visible from Yuma until I was half way to San Diego.

NEAT. I have also seen them from launchs in New Mexico.

[Chad Fairbanks]

rotfl...

[BornOnTheFourth]

SOOOOOOOOOOOOO that's WHAT that was?!?!?!!!!! I saw it when I was walking my dog...it was wild.

[hispanarepublicana]

[William Tell]

Uncle George said: "I hope its a spy camera that can see Sadam sneaking those missles around at night. "

I don't think this mission will result in spying on Saddam.

Mrs. Tell and I were inspecting her garden and admiring the rising moon when we noticed the vapor trail to the south of our place (about 60 miles north of San Francisco).

It was an object which I thought was an aircraft but which actually had the shape of a typical comet. The trail behind the craft made an angle which approached 45 degrees.

When I first saw the object it was ahead of the vapor trail by approximately one fifth the length of the trail.

The craft was moving at what seemed a very slow speed but I believe now that I was misjudging the altitude to be much lower than it apparently was.

We admired the object moving through the sky and we wondered what it could be since it was like nothing I had ever seen before.

Suddenly, it popped like a very distant, silent, soap bubble. We had the sensation that it brightened into a circular area,larger than the initial reflective craft, and then completely disappeared.

I predicted to the Mrs. that we would probably see comment within minutes on FR and I was not disappointed.

[Chad Fairbanks]

Check it out... the music kicks butt...

[Cvengr]

I saw the same from the desert. As bright and as large as a full moon on the opposite horizon, lingered for 20-30 minutes. Your photo was only after it subsided perhaps 70%. Had a curly-cue tail looking like a multiple loop trail and then a bright nebula like glow in the center.

Good news is that there's been no chemtrails for a couple of weeks. <;^)

[Jeff F]

Definely you should send this to ArtBell.com. It will be seen by countless thousands of insomniacs. In the mean time, for your viewing enjoyment, here is another one from the web:

[PoorMuttly]

So that's what they have in Area 52.

Saddam...bee veeeewy afffwwaaaiidd.

We have come for your cheese. Our Moosiles are hungry. Resistance is futile. We have Weapons of Moose Destruction.

[Walkingfeather]

Been watching rockets from vandenberg since I was about 5 ( thirty years now) The only time you can see them is night. They seem to do it right after sunset. The light from the sun will reflect off the unburned fuel for hours sometimes. This launch time is the norm rather the exception.

[savedbygrace]

Pepperoni pizza and hard boiled eggs will do that to you if you don't let it out soon enough.

[PoorMuttly]

Small world. I have also been 5 for at least thirty years.

[Cvengr]

Back in the 80's was driving through Nevada, out of range of radio stations and between two ridges, when all of the sudden saw two missiles with lettering on their sides fly over head from one horizon ridge to the other. We didn't know whether to stop or continue. Figured that if the Big One had hit, then maybe that was the safest place to remain for a while.

[CyberAnt]

Hi strela - I knew you would know. "low wind speed at altitude" - amazing!

I thought it might be the chemical composition of the fuel. I guess that proves I didn't take chemistry.

[amom]

hey check out what the boys and I got to see tonight. Way kewl!!~!!

[AdA$tra]

Here is the REAL picture. The other one is obviously edited.

[hoosierskypilot]

I dunno. Looks like a scene from "The Mothman Prophecies" to me.

[pfflier]

The well known twilight phenomenon is seen from solid fueled missile launches on the west coast at Vandenberg AFB. It is visible after sunset (on the earth's surface) with the sun still illuminating the high altitude portions of the plume.

In the picture, the ionization and solid propellant plume from the missile (usually a Minuteman or M-X Peacekeeper) is visibly lighter as it increass in altitude. The lighter part of the plume is highest with respect to the darker part therefore is reflecting more direct sunlight.

The intensity and duration of the plume is dependent on winds at altitude. Multiple wind shear effects will cause the plume to scatter at different rates and directions at various levels.

Time to put away the tinfoil hats. The phenomenon is perfectly normal. When I used to launch them (Minuteman III) from Vandenberg (by Lompoc and Santa Maria) the weather forecasters would tell us when the plume was probable. My wife would call friends as far away as Las Vegas and Salt Lake city and tell them to watch for the plume. At one time or another they all saw it.