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What Was That Bright Light in the Sky Over the Southwestern US on November 7, 2015?

-- | November 8, 2015

Question: On Nov 7th around 7PM in Tucson, we observed a very unusual sight in the sky, one that I have never seen before. I believe it might have been related to the missile test off CA, but the way it manifested itself here was very bizarre. We first observed a large circular light area against the black night sky in the west, probably around 30 degrees in diameter, fairly bright and very distinct as a white glow. More faintly there was a conical greenish glow, a bit fainter, in the center of this area, looking somewhat like a largish comet. This appearance did not change for perhaps 20 mins but was stationary in the western sky. We also noticed just off to the north, a faint white “track”, vertical, as if something had launched into the sky. It was about 20 degrees in length. Again, lasted for some time. I wonder if this isn’t some sort of projection of the events in the Pacific, happening around sundown out there? Could it be related to the geomagnetic storm? Did almost have an aurora appearance? — Tim

Answer: This light in the sky was widely reported by quite a few people. Apparently it was an unarmed Trident missile that was test-fired from a submarine off the coast of Southern California.

Jeff Mangum

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